Last Child of Krypton: Redux
by Chuckman
Summary: You will believe Shinji can fly.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Kozo Fuyutsuki hated sea travel. The rise and fall of the ship's deck beneath his feet made his stomach roll, and he truly hated that he was best off either carrying a cane, or refusing that, leaning on something to keep his balance. It reminded him that he was an old man living in the end of days, and chilled him more deeply even than the Antarctic wind biting through his heavy parka. Fortunately, he'd spent little time at sea- most of his journey had been a grueling series of hops by helicopter, where he'd managed little sleep and so fatigue was coiled heavily at the base of his neck when Gendo Ikari, lately and resentfully of that name, approached him on the broad prow of the research vessel to join him in gazing over the sea of blood that stood in mute testament to a dead continent.<p>

The two men stood in silence for a time. Fuyutsuki had the wedding announcement crumpled in his pocket, and was squeezing it through his mitten, the sensation of the curled cardboard against his fingers deadened by the padding. He didn't look at Ikari. He was tempted to laugh at the man, a skinny scrapper in an eclectic assortment of cold weather gear, right down to protective goggles. He had the beginnings of a beard.

"I need to show you something."

"What else could you possibly have for me?"

Gendo smirked, and for Fuyutsuki, that was enough. The man was seemingly inured to such displays of emotion. Fuyutsuki followed him down the deck, leaning on a rail or a crate or a great spool of wire all the way and cursing his age, until they reached a hatch, roughly amidships, that led down into the cargo hold. Gendo looked around, produced a key, and opened the heavy door. He offered a hand and Fuyutsuki dismissed it, instead leaning on the side of the bulkhead to ease his aching, cold joints as he lifted one foot and then the other over the edge of the opening and stepped inside. With the door shut and the howling Antarctic wind banished, it was finally something approximating warm, and both men slid their hoods back. Gendo pulled his goggles off and shoved him in his pocket.

They stood on a catwalk around a cargo hold, some twenty feet off the deck below, and it was if not temperate at least not freezing cold. Gendo scraped the ice off his boots and Fuytsuki did the same before they clanged down a metal staircase in their boots. The deck was slick and Fuyutsuki's hip pained him angrily when he slid across it a little until he found his footing. Gendo all but ignored him, picking his way through the contents of the hold. Most of it was nondescript equipment salvaged from the Katsuragi Expedition, junk found floating not far from the epicenter of the event- they were calling it Second Impact now. Having learned the truth of it, some part of Fuyutsuki wanted to clap Gendo over the head with the nearest sufficiently heavy object and leave him to drown in the dead sea.

At last, the other man found what he was looking for. He pulled a pale canvas tarp from a long box, maybe six feet from end to end and about three or four feet across, and about the same in height. It was made of olive drab metal and had a pair of slots in the bottom for a forklift to get at it. Gendo fished for a key, found it, and undid a series of padlocks along its length. He looked around again as he hid the key in his coat and motioned for Fuyutsuki to come closer.

"I didn't want to show this to anyone, but Yui insisted you be told."

"What is it?"

"We found this in a chunk of ice. It looks like it landed about ten miles away from where the creature was discovered."

Slowly, Gendo lifted the lid and let it lean back against the wall. Inside the crate, resting on carefully fitted, padded supports, was a silvery tube about five feet long, and two feet across. It tapered from one end to the other, giving it a vaguely ballistic shape, and the one end was flared open and flanged by thin, curved fins. It looked like a bomb, or rocket. Fuyutsuki ran his hand over it. The metal was surprisingly warm, and had a curious, almost plastic texture to it, not much like a metal at all. He pulled his hand back and ran his fingers over each other, thinking.

"Where did it come from?"

"We ran some tests on core samples from the ice block before we extracted it," said Gendo. "It's been in the ice for over four hundred years."

Fuyutsuki blinked, and stared at him. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

"Yes. This object has been in Antarctica since roughly sixteen-hundred, give or take fifty years."

"It looks like it's meant to fly. Some sort of rocket."

Gendo nodded. "I've been keeping this all very quiet. The old men have no idea. We tried extracting a sample of the material of the hull, to analyze it."

"And?"

"We can't."

"What do you mean?"

"We tried a diamond drill and an abrasive diamond grinder. It pulverized the bit and ground the grinder pads smooth. You could run them over your skin after we were finished."

"Unbelievable. Did you try-"

"An arc welder, an angle grinder, a laser scalpel, everything either breaks, grinds itself to dust, or bounces off. Nothing will penetrate this material, nothing. I don't even know what it is."

Fuyutsuki swallowed. "You realize what this implies."

"Yes," said Gendo. "This is either an artifact from a lost civilization, or an alien spacecraft. That's not the most exciting part."

"Then what is?"

Gendo leaned forward, formed a fist, and tapped his knuckles three times against the curved surface. Each tap brought back a dull, empty sound. The object was decidedly hollow.

"When we get it back to Hakone, we're going to try an ultrasound, x-rays, sonar, anything. I think there's something in there, and whatever it is, someone sent it here."

* * *

><p>Yui Ikari gazed at the rocket that was tearing her marriage apart and whispered, "I hate you."<p>

She was alone with it, as she sometimes was. Few people paid any attention to it at the Artificial Evolution Lab- it was Gendo's side project, and he had somehow managed to convince many of the technicians working here that it was some sort of anti-angel weapon, a device designed to pierce the AT-Field. The idea was ludicrous, but since he was putting in eighteen hour workdays, most of which were devoted to the Complementation Project proper, no one questioned it. He even roped her into working on it in her spare time, which was rarely concurrent with his. If they worked on it together it would be better, but so many times they'd passed each other in the hallway going to and from this damned thing at different times.

Her hand rested on her stomach. If she wasn't pregnant, she might have left him by now. She was beginning to have suspicions about his motives for courting her in the first place. They'd been so happy, once. He let her see a side of him no one else, saw, but now they traded more suspicious glances than anything else, and when she tried to talk to him of her plans to thwart her father's involvement in the Committee, she was met with a stone-walled silence that simply reminded her of the way he treated everyone else, and that was the worst of all.

She was here today to do a simple test on the surface of the craft. It sat gleaming in its lab, a little room sequestered solely for experimentation on the rocket. The room was filled with the debris of failed experiments- broken cutting tools, the x-ray and solography machines, even a jackhammer. All of it had failed. The sound waves just conducted around the exterior of the shell, and the x-rays had simply bounced off.

The rocket was mounted in a device called a gimble, which resembled nothing so much as a metal cage, like the kind used to cook chickens over a fire, which allowed it to rotate. Yui turned it around until the only feature, other than the aerofoil fins, was exposed. It was the only thing that marred the perfect surface of the outer shell, breaking up its flawless ballistic design, a small door. So far, it had resisted every attempt to open it. The seam was so tight it was hardly there at all, and she wondered if whoever made this thing hadn't simply etched the appearance of a door into the skin of the rocket as some sort of a cruel joke. Not even a piece of paper would fit into it, and the bit of the jackhammer her husband had taken to it was itself curled into a ball from the pressure, discarded in a dusty corner of the lab.

She wheeled the infrared camera closer. The idea was, she would shut everything off and try to discern the inner structure of the machine by detecting its heat- the exterior was always slightly warm to the touch, even in bitter cold. It was, therefore, generating heat, and irregularities in that heat might hint at what lay inside, or perhaps even how to get it open. Despite the way it was mounted, she would still have to crawl up under it to plant the last sensor, and with her belly domed out as it was, that would be tougher than usual. She put both hands on the craft and leaned into it, and when she did, there was a soft click and a hiss.

She jumped back immediately. The tiny door slid inwards, and then drifted gently to one side, utterly silent. Inside, there was a small, cylindrical container. It slid out, and she stared at it, dumbstruck, wondering how it had decided to activate at this specific moment, and for what purpose. She debated stopping and calling Gendo, but something in her, some scientific curiosity, demanded that she understand it now, that she finally know what it meant. She took the canister in her hand pulled it free, and turned it in her hands. It was a featureless tube, though one end was obviously a lid, meant to be gripped and unscrewed. The only other marking was an etching- a vaguely triangular diamond shape, centered on something approximating a stylized English 'S'.

Something else emerged from the opening. It vaguely resembled some sort of projector, centered on a greenish lens. It tracked her movement, and centered itself on her midsection. She didn't have time to cry out before it flashed, blinding her with its light that left a streak in her vision, as if she'd stared into the sun for too long. She stumbled and fell, landing hard on her backside, and felt a sudden lunge in her midsection.

She slid along the floor to the phone, and dialed for Gendo. Of course, he didn't answer, so she called someone else.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki sat back from his computer screen and took a long, slow breath. Yui Ikari sat next to him, great with child and as beautiful as ever, her dark green eyes framed by worry. She seemed more disheveled than usual, and was clutching her round belly. If Fuyutsuki didn't know better, he would say she was pouting. He looked from her to the screen and back to her again, and waited for her to frame the question.<p>

"What's wrong with my baby?"

He measured his response for a moment, and said, "I'm not sure I'd call it 'something wrong'."

Her eyes narrowed. "Kozo, don't play games with me."

He folded his hands in his lap and took a breath. "A normal human has forty-six chromosomes- twenty three pairs."

"Oh God," Yui cut him off, looking down at herself. "Don't tell me he has-"

"Too many. He doesn't have forty six, he has sixty-nine. His chromosomes aren't in pairs, they're tripled."

She looked up, and stared at him, and her eyes seemed to burrow under his skin. He shifted in the chair uncomfortably and turned the monitor, making it easier for her to see. He underlined the normal twenty three pairs with his fingers, and then pointed to the extras, tapping the screen for emphasis.

"The normal human genetic material is here. Something has grafted an additional set of chromosomes onto the fetus' genetic code, and it gets stranger. Human DNA is normally a double helix. This sample is a triple helix."

"He… my baby isn't _human?_"

"That's not quite right," said Fuyutsuki. "He still has chromosome pairs from you and Gendo, he just has… extras. Whatever happened to you, it blended extra genetic material into the fetus' pre-existing form. It altered him."

"Him," said Yui. "It's a boy? You're sure."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Had you chosen a name?"

"Shinji, if it is to be a boy," Yui sighed. "We wanted to name him Shinji."

Silence reigned in his little office. He never abused his position for perks, despite being one of the secret captains of the world, now. He had a little annex that was utterly nondescript, packed with books and binders and papers and mementos from his days as a professor, when he had met Yui and the man who became her husband. He looked at her for a while, then carefully closed all of the files open on the computer, and deleted everything.

"What are you doing?"

"You can't tell anyone about this. If the Committee learns of it, if your husband learns of it, they'll take him from you. Dissect him. He has to be kept from them at all costs, Yui. You know what those men are capable of. Your own father is one of them."

"One more deception," she said sadly.

He felt a tightness in his chest. "The Scenario."

"We're still going ahead. I don't have a choice."

"I can't talk you out of it?"

"You've tried, and you've failed. Gendo can't talk me out of it, either. We have to secure a bright future for…" she trailed off.

"For the children."

* * *

><p>Shinji was on a train, and the train was taking him somewhere far away. He'd lived his short life in a beautiful city, a city full of people who smiled at him and spoke in the loud, soothing tones adults always used with small children. He would walk through the city with mother's hands and watch it being built, watching tiny distant men in orange jumpsuits work and operate machines and raise armored skyscrapers as they built a new fortress for mankind. Then, one day, his mother had to go away. He stood with Father in the room with the glass walls and watched.<p>

Mother was a beautiful woman. The last time he saw her, her fingers, tightly wrapped in a glove made of some strange, slipper material, ghost across his palm as she said goodbye to him. She was crying, and at the time, he didn't know why. The machine was in the big room they called the cage, and Shinji didn't like it. He thought it looked like a monster. It didn't look much like a machine at all, because it was covered in bandages. He never went too close to it, because he wasn't allowed. Instead, he watched Mother climb into the big machine in the back of the robot's neck, and a few minutes later, it sank down with a twist and Mother was gone. Father told him she had left and was never, ever coming back, and he had to go away.

That was why he was on the train.

He had on a striped shirt that was too big and a pair of shorts that were short enough that his skin touched the cool, grimy surface of the plastic seat. The train was mostly empty and his only company on his end of the car was his suitcase, into which he'd stuffed all his worldly things, a few pairs of clothes and some socks. He watched the world sweep by in regular intervals, reddened by the sun, and wanted to go home, but there was no home left to go to. When the train slowed as it pulled into the last stop, he slid down off the seat and pulled his bag until it landed on the floor with a thump, and then picked it up and awkwardly carried it out the door. The man they sent to watch over him, a tall man in a dark suit who didn't speak, only walked to the edge of the door and stayed in the train, watching him walk down the platform.

There were only two people there, and they were waiting for him. His mother's brother, his uncle, and his wife, his aunt. They were older, the product of his grandfather's previous marriage, and were his only living relatives now that Mother was gone. He plodded over to them in the setting sun and after he set down his bag, stared up at their wizened faces. He had hoped in some small part of himself that they would smile warmly and invite him into their home, but they did neither. His aunt simply turned away and hobbled towards their little compact car, and his uncle picked up his bag.

He grunted when he did.

* * *

><p>Today was Shinji's first day of school .<p>

He lived in what could charitably be called a closet with a window. His aunt and uncle lived in the country in a little house with a big bedroom he wasn't allowed in and two they never used, and he lived in one of them now. His things didn't take up much space once he folded them and put them away, and the suitcase had been carried out and left to rot in the small tool shed behind the house, which lay on the slope of a hill. The front was level with the ground, and the back of the house was on stilts, and a set of stairs wound down from the back door to the shed, partly wood and partly stone. An older person would have called it quaint, perhaps, but it seemed mostly empty to him.

In the morning before he left for school, he spent some time there, sitting on the stone steps out behind the house, watching the sun rise and listening to the distant buzz of cicadas, the never-ending backdrop to the world of post-Impact Japan where summer never truly ended. He had his backpack on his back and was gripping the straps tightly, pulling them taut a few inches from his shoulder. When the pitched forward a little, the straps snapped cleanly, dumping the bag on the ground. He huffed outa long, low sigh and picked it up, tied the broken straps together, and carried it like a shoulder bag.

Because there were so few children, the trek to school began early. He had to walk up the dirt road from his house, a long, dusty journey that required he leave at daylight. There he would catch a bus which was really a van driven by a school employee. He trudged up the path, stopping occasionally to listen to the cicadas, which drummed in his ears when he was away from other sources of sound. A few times, the knot in his backpack straps slipped and he had to re-tie it. When he reached the place where the soft earth path opened out onto a paved road, the van was already pulling away.

He ran.

Each step sent jarring vibrations up through his body. There was a sudden, primal joy in it, and he gave himself to the feeling. As he ran down the road he leaned into it, picking up speed, and when his pack slipped yet again he held it by the handle at the top and ran as fast as he could, waving for the van with his free hand. He ran so hard it hurt, so hard it made the muscles in his belly clench, and he thought if he ran any faster, he might fly.

The van rolled to a stop and he skidded along beside it, almost leaning backwards to erupt his momentum. Someone inside through the sliding door back and he climbed inside, panting, and set his bag down by the others. There were three children in the van, two girls and a boy, all his age. The driver, a wizened old man in a white shirt and slacks, looked back at him through the rear view mirror.

"Quite the runner, you are," he said.

Panting, Shinji sat in the bench seat by himself and clipped his seat belt as the van rumbled forward, and sank into the padded vinyl. The girl across from him, thin and spare, smiled at him.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Aoi."

"I'm Shinji," said Shinji.

He turned, and looked out the window, and watched the world roll by.

* * *

><p>It was around nine in the evening, and Gendo was still in the office. Fuyutsuki walked into his chamber unannounced. It was still new to both of them, the size and opulence of the place, rich in its minimal design, symbolic of the new organization's expanded powers. In many way, Gendo Ikari deserved an office that was an equal of the American President or the Secretary General of the United Nations, for he was their equal, if not their superior. The room resembled nothing less than a cave, with a high ceiling that felt low anyway, etched with the ten spheres of the sephirot matching a bizarre etching of quantum particles on the floor. Gendo sat at the head and center of the diagrams, respectively, the combined effect being that of a spider sitting in the middle of a web.<p>

Gendo looked up from his report. Fuyutsuki waited until he was sure he had the man's full attention.

"Kyoko Soryu is dead," said Fuyutsuki.

Gendo nodded, and looked back down at his report.

"She had a little girl. Eight years old."

Gendo nodded, but didn't look up.

"We should transfer them here."

"The Berlin branch will never suspend their work on the mass production model. Request denied."

"Request denied? For God's sake man, I wasn't making a formal request. I'm trying to hold a conversation with you."

"You're wasting my time with irrelevant information."

Fuyutsuki didn't budge. He folded his hands behind the small of his back. "We should transfer her here; train her in the simulation bodies. I think we should begin training Shinji as well, perhaps introduce them. It might help-"

"I said no."

"She discovered the body, Gendo. Her psyche-"

"Is irrelevant. Can she pilot?"

Fuyutsuki clenched his jaw. There was no sound of a ticking clock, as there was in his office, to mark the hours, or even the gentle rush of cool air from the ventilation system. Gendo remained as still as a statue, only his eyes moving until he turned the page of his report, even that movement spare, measured. Fuyutsuki wanted to say his eyes were haunted or his body hunched but neither was true. It was as if his entire form was a mask.

"You knew about this, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. You know what the program requires as well as I do. I fail to see the cause of your indignation."

"The safety system-"

"Was ill advised," said Gendo. "It would have been more helpful to allow her to be absorbed entirely."

"You mean," Fuyutsuki said coldly, "as Yui was."

Gendo looked up at that. "We will bring her back."

"At what cost?"

Where his off hand rested on the desk, Gendo's knuckles turned white. "Any. You will not stand in my way. As I recall, you agreed to aid me."

"I did," said Fuyutsuki. "But not for you."

With that, he turned and strode out of the office, letting his superior return to his paperwork. He walked through the hallway of Central Dogma aimlessly, avoiding his office and the tedious expense reports and budget allocations that awaited him there. He passed Naoko Akagi in the hallway, headed for the Commander's office. There was an unusual spring in her step and, he noticed, she was wearing fishnets today. Fuyutsuki was an old man, but he was not dead, and Akagi was attractive woman despite her years, having sort of settled into a matronly beauty in her middle age.

He came to a stop in the hallway.

He wouldn't. Would he?

Slowly, he resigned himself to returning to his office. No matte where he actually kept it, his little fiefdom was always the same. The dimensions were a bit larger, but that only made room for one more shelving unit, a recovered piece from the university in Kyoto, now gone. The room smelled richly of stained wood and old papers, and he kept the lights low, eschewing the angrily buzzing overhead light in favor of a lamp on his desk with a green shade and a pull-chain. He walked around behind the desk, sat down, and retrieved a bottle of cognac from the lower drawer. He reached up under the drawer above and pulled out two objects.

One was a gun, a GI-style .45 he wasn't supposed to have. He kept the gun immaculately oiled and owned exactly eight bullets, heavy hollowpoints that would paint the ceiling with his brains if he decided to use it for the purpose he'd originally obtained it for. He rested his hand on the grip and felt the contrast between the cool metal frame and the roughed up wooden grips and thought about thumbing the hammer back and putting a slug through his skull, and then stopped. Instead, he ran his fingers down the other object- a long tube that resembled nothing so much as a pencil case, one end designed to be unscrewed, etched on its length with a curious symbol resembling an English S. He lifted the canister, tapped it against his palm, and tried the screw-cap. Of course, it didn't budge.

He put both items back in the little resting place he used to secret them away, slid the drawer shut, and poured himself a drink. After he'd drained it, he picked up his phone, which was the old style with a cord and made of black plastic, dialed the number of the Section 2 chief. He had a visit to make.

* * *

><p>When Shinji came home, there were three people in his house. He trotted up the front steps and carried his bag up to his little room, and then returned to the kitchen. In addition to his aunt and uncle there was a thin, elderly man in a dark suit, sitting casually at the table. His uncle, sitting opposite, looked unhappy to see him. His uncle glanced at him.<p>

"There he is," he said, and stood up.

"Shinji," said the old man. "Would you mind taking a walk with me?"

Shinji shrugged and followed him outside, where he picked up a gnarled, twisted walking stick and tapped it along the ground beside him as they walked up the path, further into the trees. Shinji looked around nervously, listening to the cicadas, and the sound of his aunt yelling about 'that man', back in the house.

"Shinji," said the old man, "My name is Fuyutsuki. Your mother was a dear friend of mine."

Shinji brightened. "She was?"

"Yes, and I knew you even before you were born. You don't remember me, do you?"

Shinji shook his head.

"Do you remember Asuka?"

Shinji blinked, looked at the ground for a moment, and then shook his head again.

Together they walked up a fair distance from the house, the old man growing winded while Shinji strolled behind him. Once he paused, but the old man motioned for him to continue forward, panting.

"I need the exercise," he explained.

The dirt road wound up around the hillside to a sheer drop, so steep that no grass or trees grew there except for a few bare twigs and a single pine that twisted up out of the earth and crookedly reached for the setting sun. Shinji stood beside the old man for a while, waiting for him to speak.

"Shinji, when a man reaches my age, he thinks about the life he's chosen to lead and the choices he's made. I don't expect you to understand the things that I've done, but I feel like I'm partly responsible for the… accident that caused your mother's death."

Shinji said nothing. He looked out at the sun. He liked being in the afternoon light. It seemed to tease his skin, seep into him, make him feel warm and whole. He took a long breath and closed his eyes.

"She left something for you," said Fuyutsuki, and reached into his pocket.

He drew out a silvery tube and handed it to Shinji. He took it and turned it over in his delicate child's hands, until he found that the top was meant to unscrew. He took a try at it, but it failed to budge under his grasp. He wasn't sure, but he thought Fuyutsuki looked a bit disappointed. Shinji offered it back to him, and Fuyutsuki raised his hands in objection.

"It's yours, now. If you ever do manage to open it, I'd like to know."

Shinji nodded and slipped it into his pocket.

"Be careful with it, whatever it is. No one should ever see it. Do you have a place to hide it?"

Shinji nodded.

"Good. I don't know what else there is I can say to you, except that you were very special to your mother, and you're a very special boy. She loved you very much."

Shinji sniffed a little, and looked away, because he didn't want a stranger to see the tears welling up in his eyes. Fuyutsuki looked out in silence over the expanse of the fields and terraces below and shrugged. After a time he walked back to the house, and Shinji followed him, his thoughts drawn to the heavy piece of metal in his pocket. While the old man went into the house to speak to his guardians, Shinji wound around the back, and let himself slide down the slope in the cool, wet grass until he reached the old shed. The door wasn't locked, and he stepped inside.

The dust and musk of old, unused tools and dried oil assaulted his nose until he thought he might sneeze, but he didn't. He slipped the cylinder out of his pocket and found a place for it in a gap between the rotted floorboards, resting it on the beams that held up the floor of the shed. He made sure it wouldn't roll off by wedging it between the timbers and left it there when he walked up the steps that were part wood and part stone and went to prepare dinner for his guardians, as was his duty.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki clapped his hand over his face when he saw what they were doing. There were a dozen Section 2 agents on the lower deck of the command center, standing in a tight ring around the medical technicians that hovered around the gurney that had been set up in front of the three massive Magi nodes. A pair of them stared Fuyutsuki down before letting him pass. He shouldered between the agents and gasped, when he saw what the doctors were doing.<p>

Naoko Akagi lay on the gurney, in ruins. All of her limbs had been shattered, and from what he saw, precious little attention was being given to setting them right, although there was little point. She was strapped to a brace and had a heavy collar around her neck, and it was obvious from her slack expression that even if she regained consciousness, she wouldn't be able to feel it anyway. Her breath came in ragged gasps that made her breasts heave against the tight dress she wore, crusted with her own blood, and Fuyutsuki's stomach turned. Her glazed over eyes stared up at nothing.

Gendo appeared at his side. "Move her to the cage."

"Sir?" said the lead doctor, pulling down his surgical mask. "I don't understand-"

"It is not your place to understand. Follow my orders."

With a shrug, the doctor motioned, and they slowly wheeled the bed away, a team of nurses dedicated just to holding up her intravenous lines.

"We're really quite lucky," said Gendo. "We'll be able to salvage her for the prototype."

Fuyutsuki blinked. "What do you…"

His eyes drifted to the upper levels, where four Section 2 agents were lifting a tiny body bag, the corpse inside that of a child, such that the bag was actually folded in half. They purposely looked nowhere at all as they picked the limp form up and carried it away. Gendo watched them go and then began following Akagi's gurney. Fuyutsuki fell in step beside him.

"What happened? Was that-"

"Ayanami, yes," Gendo said quietly.

"My God, Ikari, she-"

"Calm yourself," Gendo said irritably with a wave of his hand. "I have everything in hand."

Fuyutsuki swallowed, wished for a stiff drink, and followed the sad little procession down to the cage. There were a number of vast open spaces to contain Evangelions, but the group headed for the cage that held Unit Zero, designated as the prototype, constructed to replace the test-type, which was too volatile for further experiments and remained in cold storage. Officially, at least. He was glad he didn't have to walk under the gaze of the horned beast today. Instead, he stared up into the great single eye of Unit Zero, its primer-gray head otherwise featureless. His visage was distorted, twisted out of shape in the fish-eyed glass.

The doctors left, and with Gendo's help, the technicians began stripping Naoko. They handled her roughly, ignoring her soft groans as they moved her ruined limbs to cut away her lab coat and little black dress with snips, leaving her bruised and sallow and sagging on the bloody white sheet. It was Gendo who took her under the shoulders and stepped into the entry plug with her. A moment later, he and the technician crawled out, soaked in the link control liquid to the waist. Gendo wiped his hands on his pants, mingling Akagi's blood with the orange, coppery-smelling fluid, and Fuyutsuki thought there was something grimly appropriate in that.

"We need to work quickly," Gendo announced. "Clear the cage."

Fuyutsuki watched in silence as Gendo oversaw the operation, shouting orders to the technicians, using Akagi's own lab to murder her. The machine roared and bucked in the cage, shaking the floor under his feet, and for a moment he felt a familiar gaze on him through its single eye. He swallowed and felt his gorge rising as the machine powered down and the Evangelion settled back into its crypt as ice-cold bakelite sprayed out over its body to secure it.

When it was over, Gendo said, "Follow me."

Fuyutsuki walked after him, glancing over his shoulder as if he expected to see a ghost. Together they rode the elevator down to the lowest floor, until Gendo swiped a key card in the control panel and inserted and turned a nondescript key, after which the elevator continued further. It felt like forever, both men standing in silence in the cramped space as the rotary floor counter over their heads ticked away their passage into the underworld. The doors slid open and Gendo stepped out, and Fuyutsuki followed him. He had never been this low before, and there was something grim and sepulchral about this place.

"Where are we…"

The dark hallway opened onto a narrow space; another elevator led to the LCL production plant, and an unmarked door required yet another key. Gendo held the door for Fuyutsuki, and it clicked locked behind him when it shut. Fuyutsuki felt the size of the room even before Gendo threw a series of light switches and lit up the space, a huge laboratory centered on a single round tank in the very center. Fuyutsuki walked closer to it.

Floating in the void of the tank were listless, drifting shapes, the outlines of human bodies. As he drew nearer they resolved into the pale form, _forms_, of the Ayanami girl, Gendo's ward. Each was identical, each floating nude in a vat of LCL, slack looks on their faces. Fuyutsuki took a step back as a one of the shapes nearest the glass moved suddenly, her palm _thunking_ against the glass as he face tightened in a sudden scowl and she fixed her sight on Gendo.

"Now that Akagi is unavailable, I will need your help decanting the next clone," said Gendo.

"What is this?" said Fuyutsuki. "What have you done?"

"What was necessary," said Gendo. "We have work to do."

Fuyutsuki steeled himself and began following his orders, and tried not to think of how thoroughly he'd damned himself.

* * *

><p>The trouble started the day Shinji got his perfect attendance ribbon. He was finishing junior high soon, and he had never missed a day of school, for illness or otherwise. In fact, he had never been sick, even when the bird flu came through one year and the school was closed. He had the ribbon in his locker when he walked out onto the tarmac for physical education in his white shirt and shorts, lined up with the other twelve boys in his class. The upperclassmen were just walking back into the school as he was walking out, and one of them happened to notice him.<p>

Unfortunately, at the time he was looking up the hill at the girls arrayed around the swimming pool. There were some giggles and whispers, and he heard every one of them as clear as day, a chorus of comments about how cute he was and a rather lewd observation about his butt that made him blush. Aoi stood up and waved to him, and sucked in her belly as she did, and pushed her chest out and cocked her hips to one side, and the overall effect was silly as she was bronzed from the sun and had the beginnings of freckles and smelled of chlorine, but something deep in Shinji stirred and he waved back anyway.

Which brought on the attentions of her brother.

"Freak," the older boy snarled, shoving Shinji.

The gym teacher didn't see. Shinji quailed, his shoulders sinking.

"Keep your freak eyes off my sister, you little puke."

Shinji nodded and retreated into the line. Today they would play basketball, but his heart wasn't really in it. He glanced up at the pool a few times, and the ball bounced off the side of his head. When it did, it made a loud _thwap_ sound, and went sailing clear across the court. It hit the chain link fence and jangled it loudly, and the ball bounced over to the other team, who rushed it past him and made the point. He tried to put the ball in the basket a few times, but every time he threw it he overreached, and it went sailing over the back board. One time, it went outside the fence and he had to climb over, toss the ball back, and climb back in. The ball nearly bounced out of the court again, he threw it so high.

Gym class ended, and the day wore on. The rest of his classes for the day bored him to tears. He'd already read through the English textbook five times, and he'd taken to downloading American television programs on his laptop and watching them in the evenings. In fact, in his spare time, he'd taken up German, on the suggestion of Professor Fuyutsuki who'd called one evening just to say that he might try it. No matter what language he tried, he took to it like a fish to water, and a few reads through a phrase book and some television programs or radio recordings, and he was nearly fluent.

Science posed him no difficulty, either. The equations were simple and he'd already taken a high school physics textbook out of the library on his own initiative and worked through the equations for a few minutes a day, and math was the same. History annoyed him; he disliked the rote way he was expected to memorize the material, especially since he'd read the entire textbook the first week of school and the teacher couldn't answer any of his questions. He wasn't particularly interested, so pursued the other subjects more vigorously. Astrophysics fascinated him. He read the books of Stephen Hawking and read of string theory and branes, and the ideas mesmerized him. As he sat this day, he dreamed with his chin in his palm and wondered what it would be like to fly freely into the sky, out into the darkness of space and see the stars with his own eyes. It amazed him that a human being, an American named Armstrong, had walked on the moon, and others followed in his path.

It amazed him so much he barely noticed Aoi nudging his arm.

She was tall and skinny and had brown hair and green eyes that she hid behind big round frames, and he knew the other girls made fun of her but she didn't like to bring it up. She was poking his shoulder with one slender finger, and when he turned around, he blushed at the realization that she was tracing the outline of his shoulder muscles with her fingertip.

"Hey," she whispered.

He blinked.

"Can you come over to my house tonight? I need help studying for the physics test."

He looked around, was thoroughly sure the teacher wasn't paying attention to them, and leaned over to her.

"Your brother-"

She rolled her eyes. "You can take him."

Shinji's eyes narrowed.

"I'm joking," she deadpanned.

"I don't know. I'll have to ask my guardians."

She sighed. "Why do you always have to be so uptight about rules?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I guess I just like order."

With that, he went back to looking bored, terrified the teacher had noticed their conversation. He fidgeted uncomfortably until the bell dismissed them. Aoi walked him out of the building, but he had to split off from her to go home, which was quite a walk and rather distant from where she lived with her parents. He watched her go for a while, and then a rock bounced off his head.

"Ow!"

He watched it skitter along the ground and touched the side of his forehead where it had hit him. It didn't even feel different, safe for a bit of dust clinging to the fringe of his hair. He looked at his fingers, and then realized that three boys that each had about fifty pounds on him were bearing down on him like a trio of freight trains. In a panic, he yelped, and he ran. He turned and he ran up the path, and the sound of his footfalls almost drowned out the sound of their shouts behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, looked at the widening gap, and could do nothing but run faster, abject terror seizing his stomach in an iron grip. He looked forward, and he ran.

The shouts died and became huffing and puffing, and finally he thought he might be along, but he kept running anyway. There were tears stinging his eyes, and he cursed himself for his cowardice. He should have confronted them, should have said yes to Aoi's invitation, but he was afraid, he was so afraid, it was like it hung around his neck and dragged him down. He ran and ran and went up the path past his own house, and he ran so fast he didn't see the end of the path and the steep slope coming until it was too late. He cartwheeled into open air, a sudden clenching in his gut as his feet missed the ground, and the world pitched and rolled around him, turning end over end.

He hit the ground hard, bounced, and rolled onto his back. For the barest moment, he had a sneaking suspicion that he was dead, and was therefore in hell, since it was identical to his normal life. He sat in the mud and looked down at his feet. He ran his hands down his legs and was surprised that there was no lancing pain, no jutting fragments of long bones. Slowly, he stood up, and looked around. He'd fallen maybe fifty feet through open air and then splashed in the mud, bounced out of a deep furrow, and carved another one as he landed. He tested himself as he walked around in a slow circle, the mud rising to his ankles. His bag was lost somewhere, and he saw the ruins of his laptop on the ground and heaved a deep sigh.

There wasn't a scratch on him.

He looked at his hands and flexed his fingers. Slowly, he gathered up what he could find, stuffed it in his torn, mud-soaked bag, and started climbing. He found no purchase in the mud as it squeezed between his fingers, and so had to find clumps of dying grass and use them to yank himself along, sliding on his belly in the mud like a snake. He managed to get his arms around the hanging tree, and then get his feet on it, and then use it to step up onto the top of the slope just as it pulled free, gave way, and tumbled to the ground below with a splash of mud. He mumbled an apology and stifled a sob. He ruined everything.

Slowly, he made his way back to his uncle's house. He took his shoes off on the stop step and left them there to dry, and then his socks, and walked through the kitchen barefoot, hoping no one would see him. His uncle, of course, was doing his crossword puzzle in the kitchen.

"Boy," he said, looking up, "What's a seven letter word for the cycle of…" he trailed off as he caught Shinji in his gaze. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I fell," Shinji shrugged.

"You're making a mess. Go get yourself cleaned up, and then scrub the floor. The wife will eat me alive if she sees this."

Sighing, Shinji did what he said. He had to scrape off big chunks of now dried mud and toss them in a bag, and then clean out the little shower cabinet after he was done, there was so much dirt on him, and by the time he had his hair cleaned out, the water had run cold, but it didn't really bother him at all. He stepped out, toweled off, and put on a clean school uniform- he didn't have any other clothes. He tried to clean the kitchen floor as fast as he could, dealing with the mud first and then scrubbing the whole thing down, before he stood up and said to his uncle,

"I got an invitation to a girl's house, and I was-"

"No," his uncle shrugged, "Cook."

Shinji sighed, walked slowly to the stove, and froze.

"On second thought," his uncle said, "We have some instant meals we never eat. You've had a bad enough day without me spoiling it for no reason at all. "Go ahead."

His heart lifted, and he hurriedly donned socks, retrieved his shoes, and cleaned and polished them, rubbing them so hard he was afraid they'd catch fire. He had no backpack anymore, so he grabbed a physics book, shoved it under his arm, and bounded down the steps. No boys confronted him on the dirt road, or when he walked down the asphalt path. He was so high in his spirits that he felt he might lift off from the ground, like he'd grown a hundred pounds lighter.

He was in high spirits, that is, until he saw the smoke.

He dropped the book and it thudded on the blacktop, and he broke into a dead sprint, the wind whistling in his ears. There was a single pumper truck on the road, ringed by firemen in their helmets and heavy protective gear. They were, of course, too late. Shinji realized with a sinking stomach that it was Aoi's house that was burning, red flames licking from the windows, smoke pouring out of the roofline. He ran past the firemen an was relieved when he saw her family standing around, her mother and father and her brother still in his school uniform.

The realization almost knocked him off his feet.

"Ikari?" her father said, his face lined with worry, yet dead with shock. "What are you doing here?"

Shinji was shocked by the normality of his question. He was about to say something, say he was sorry, when he heard a soft moan. No one else seemed to hear it, though, judging by their reaction. The firemen were fumbling with their equipment, trying to get water pressure to spray down the house. Shinji looked at it, at the licking flames, and a single thought danced though his head.

I musn't run away.

Steeling himself, he sucked in a breath and ran up the path, ignoring the shouted cries behind him to come back, that he would be trapped, too. He got up to the door, which stood open, and found it blocked by a flaming beam that was half wood and half charcoal. He put his hands on it and winced, expecting it to send lancing pains up his arms, but he felt nothing, and when he pushed, it slid back and thumped against the floor. He deepened his breath as best he could and charged inside, head down, under the smoke. It stung his eyes and the sound of crackling flames assaulted his ears, but his lungs had not yet begun to burn, and his eyes didn't water.

He heard soft breathing, and went to it. One of the stairs gave way when he stepped on it, and he jumped over the gap and darted up to the landing. The sound of breathing came from the bedroom to his right, and he shouldered through the door. Aoi lay under the bed, face down, her legs hanging out. She'd tried to hide, and he realized why. The whole hallway was on fire. There was no way out for her.

He was standing in flames, and they'd burned his pants and his shoes and socks away up to his knees. His shirt hung from him in tatters, and soot outlined every crease and bulge of muscle on his spare frame, clinging under his ribs. He was on fire and he felt nothing.

Aoi coughed.

He ran into the room and knelt beside her. Without thinking, he picked up the bed and hurled it backwards, and it was light in his hands, like tossing a piece of cardboard. It slammed against the wall and shattered, splintering into a dozen pieces. He rolled Aoi over. She'd broken her glasses and her nose was bleeding. He touched her cheek and she was cold, her breathing ragged. He looked at her body, and something happened. For a moment, he'd thought she'd melted- her dress and even her undergarments and skin simply vanished, and he saw inside her somehow, inside her lungs. There was some blackness there, but it wasn't bad, just barely lining the shape of her lungs and throat. He blinked, and she was normal again, and he shook his head, wondering if he was hallucinating.

Gently, he slid his arms under her and picked her up, leaning her limp head against his shoulder to keep from hurting her neck. He was surprised how light she was. He knew she was skinny, but he felt like he could carry her all day. He turned to carry her back the way he'd come when he realized the fire would burn her, maybe kill her, and she'd breathe in the smoke. It didn't matter either way, because at that moment with a great crunch the roof came in, falling down on his head with a rain of embers and soot.

He curled on Aoi, shielding her with his back, and hoped that they'd be able to get her out even if he didn't make it. It took him a moment to realize it had been too long. He stood up and the timbers and a great sheet of tiled roof slid off his back, and a moment later landed with a boom on the ground below. The second floor was open to the ground, now, though he could barely see it through the flames. He had no choice. He ran to the edge, and he jumped.

Inwardly, he winced. He knew the fall was too much, he was too high, and he was going to break his ankles. He blinked when he realized he was standing in the front yard, the heels of his feet buried in the soft ground almost over his ankles. The firemen and rescue team and Aoi's family stared at him for a moment, and then rushed over to him. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, and smiled.

"Hi," she coughed.

He realized with a start that he hadn't let his breath out yet. He breathed out, and then breathed in, finding it oddly necessary to concentrate on it for a second. Finally, he was steady enough to say, "My uncle said I could."

"I'm glad," she said, and then passed out again.

They took her from him and put her on a stretcher, and they finally began to douse the house in water. Aoi's mother tried to hug him but he was too hot, and she jumped back with a yelp, staring at her hands. He looked down at the ruins of his clothing and the curling smoke and steam rising from his body. Her brother stared at him, slack jawed.

"I changed my mind," he said. "You can come over if you want."

Shinji blinked at him, and then saw the medics and the firemen running over, and in a panic, he darted away, his stomach leaping upwards at the thought of being caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do. He ran all the way home, all the way up the front steps, and when his uncle saw him, he spat out his water.

"What the hell happened to you this time?"

"Her house was on fire," said Shinji. "I went in and got her out."

"Oh," his uncle said, and then a moment later, "What?"

"I don't know," said Shinji."

He went upstairs and took another shower, and changed his clothes. He waited by the phone until it rang, and answered it himself. It was Aoi, and her voice sounded scratchy-scratchy, but alright. He sighed and slid down in the kitchen chair, relief falling on him like a cooling wave.

"I'm inthe hospital," she said. "You can see me in the morning."

He did, of course. Some part of him, the part of him that lives in all young men when they notice how appealing girls are, hoped that it would be the beginning of a great romance. Of course, since their house burned down, Aoi and her family had no choice but to move away. At least he got a chaste kiss on the cheek and a clap on the shoulder from her brother. It was better than nothing.

* * *

><p>Shinji was sixteen when the letter came. He was fluent in four languages, and had declined the opportunity to be the school's star runner and basketball player, preferring furthering his studies. One day he trotted up those steps into his house and found his uncle sitting at the table, staring at nothing. Shinji dropped his book bag and sat down opposite, leaning on the table. The old man looked up at him and sighed.<p>

"You know," he said, "It's a shame it took that thing with the fire for me to realize how special you are, boy. I wish I'd taken to you sooner. You understand how it was, never having a child of our own, and your father dropping you on our lap."

Shinji nodded, and looked down at the letter. The old man slid it across the table to him.

"This came for you today."

Shinji studied it for a moment. It was addressed to him with no return addressed, written in an oddly familiar hand. He carefully worked his finger under the flap and tore it open, and tossed the part of the envelope he tore away into the garbage can without looking. He slid the paper out, and looked at it hard for a moment. It was strange; most of it was blacked out, and he was sure that it had been re-used, a discarded page repurposed with a handwritten message. It said, "Come."

There was no salutation, but there was a signature. "-Father," it said.

It slipped out of his hands and landed on the table with a small sound.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Shinji nodded dumbly.

"Think it over," his uncle said. "I'll back you if you decide to stay."

Slowly, achily, the old man stood up and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Shinji with it. After all these years, one word. Just come, obey my orders, do as you're told without thought. He picked up the letter, curled it into a ball, and threw it into the garbage can so hard it knocked the vessel over with a clang. He stood up, walked through the house, and went to sit on the back steps, alone. It was unusually cool at the beginning of this school year. He watched the sun for a while, until it gradually began to set, and peaked through the wooden walls of the old shed.

A sudden fancy struck him. He got up, and paced down the steps to the shed. His uncle had locked it and he didn't want to ask for the key. The old professor had told him never to tell anyone about the canister, and Shinji did as he was asked. Instead, he took a hold of the lock, closed his eyes, and clenched his fist. The metal came apart like putty, the dully painted sides of the lock squeezing out between his fingers. He tossed it aside with a thump and it slid under the floor of the shed, beneath the exposed beams. He took a breath, opened the door, and stepped inside.

It was dimmer and dustier than he'd remembered. There was an even thicker layer of grime and spider webs over the old tools and junk, and he had to pick his way through it to the spot he'd chosen. He pulled the floorboard up, shooting a glance over his shoulder when it creaked loudly, and felt a wave of relief when the burnished end of the cylinder remained firmly wedged in place. It came out easily in is hand. When he held it, it shocked him how small it seemed now when he turned it over and tested its weight in his hand. He tapped the end against his palm, and then closed his fingers around it. He tested it a little, and it didn't give way like the lock, but when he turned his hand the end neatly swiveled with a squeak of metal, and a few quick turns opened it.

There was a small sound, a meaty pop, and something shot out of the canister and thumped against the roof of the shed, pelting him with chunks of rotten wood and bits of web and dust. He coughed and picked the object up. When he lifted it, it unfurled in his hands, and he was surprised by how large it was. It shouldn't have been able to fit in the canister at all. He held in his hands two bolts of cloth, red and blue, that must have been blankets, and large ones at that. Both held the same stylized symbol, a red and yellow figure that looked like an S in a diamond shape. He rolled it up and set it aside, and upended the cylinder.

A small crystal fell into the palm of his hand, and he clutched it instinctively. When it touched his skin, it made a small sound, a tiny ping, and then again, flashing with greenish light as it did, illuminating the whole inside of the shed. The sound and the light sped up, ping-ping-ping-ping, until it was a steady glow. He heard a strange sound, the sound of something welling up and gathering power, and a brilliant light blasted out of his hand, forcing his eyes closed as he turned his head. He felt a rush of cool air and thought, for a moment, that the shed had exploded.

When he opened his eyes, he was underground. He had a profound sense of the weight of rock above him, and he looked up and saw a smoothly curved concrete ceiling, although an angry crack ran down its length. He looked around and found himself standing in the middle of some sort of laboratory. Some of the devices he recognized- burners and flasks and containers that were all strangely familiar, yet unnervingly unfamiliar in their design, like glassware from a country he'd never visited before. He turned and saw in the center of the room a long, polished metal rocket, shaped like a bullet with airfoils at one end. Beside the rocket stood a tall man in a black body glove and a red robe, on he saw the same symbol from the blankets. He almost dropped the crystal.

"Hello," said the man.

"Uh," said Shinji. "Hi-"

"My name is Kal-El," the man said, ignoring him. It must have been some kind of a recording. "I am speaking to you from a planet called _Krypton_, in a galaxy far distant from your own. Beside me is an experimental probe, which carries within it a powerful engine called a hyperdrive that will allow it to compress space and cross the void between the stars to its destination."

Shinji swallowed. A curious tightness in his chest overtook him.

"If you are seeing this message, it is because you are both strong enough to open the message cylinder, and you have the Kryptonian genetic profile to activate the computer storage crystal. It is the first one of many contained within this craft."

He rested his hand on the rocket. "Within this vessel is the entire body of knowledge of our race. Foolishly, we grew too proud and tampered with beings too great for us, and doomed our species. Though we have conquered war and famine and strife and disease, we were unable to conquer our own arrogance, and so doomed ourselves to a slow death by sterilization. If my father had not once believed our world was doomed to explode, this rocket would never have been built. The majority of our species has voted to die quietly, sequestered on our world for fear that our folly will contaminate others."

He moved towards Shinji. "In my survey of the stars, I identified your world as host to both a sentient species –yours—and the same type of creature that caused our own end. I have observed your world, son of Earth. I have chosen you to receive the bounty of our species' learning and advancement, but the greatest gift I have sent is you."

Shinji shivered. His grip on the crystal tightened.

"When this ship was touched by a pregnant female of your species, it grafted a sampling of Kryptonian genetic material onto yours while you were in the womb. In effect, you have two fathers- your human biological father, and myself. I hope that your human parents have raised you well."

Shinji snorted.

"Though you have been raised as a human being, you are not one of them. Under your Earth's low gravity, you will be faster, stronger, and tougher than any ordinary human being. Under the light of a yellow sun, your abilities will flower beyond anything known to any but your most distant Kryptonian forebears, for we live under a red sun. I have sent this message along with the combined knowledge of our race in hopes that you will act as a steward for humanity. It is not your place to rule them or subjugate them, but to lead them by example. They are a good people, who carry within them a seed of greatness. They need only a light to show the way. It is for this reason, their capacity for good, that I have sent them a child- one last child of Krypton."

The world around him simply vanished, and he was standing in the shed again. He held the crystal in his hand for a moment, and then dropped it as if it was hot. He looked around, and finally sat down on a pile of old junk, holding the folded pieces of cloth in his lap. He picked up the crystal and slid it back into the canister and closed the lid, and wrapped the tube up in the cloth. He slid it into his pocket, closed the door to the shed behind him, and walked up the hill past the house. He strolled along, heading up the dirt path, until he reached the cliff face.

There, he stood. He looked out over the shining grasses and crops in the terraced fields below, held his arms out to his side, and closed his eyes. His stomach pitched as he leaned forward, and he suppressed as a cry as his feet slid out from under him. He waited for ten seconds, thirty seconds, a minute, more. Then, he opened his eyes. The world leaned lazily beneath him, and when he waved his arms, he yelped as he rolled over onto his back, the cool afternoon air breezing under his shirt. He rolled again, and he looked up into the sky, and he lived his dream.

The earth tilted beneath him until he became steady, and he put his hands at his sides, feeling the air rush over his body as he surged forward. Wherever he looked, he went, so that he skimmed low over the fields or went straight up until he put his arms out and hung there, hundreds of feet off the ground, the freezing cold bothering him not in the least. He saw his world spread out beneath him, the little house where he grew up and the town and the school and the place where the ruined burned bones of Aoi's house had been torn down and a blackened patch left there, and he went home. He brushed over the very tips of the pine trees until he came into the clearing where the house stood, and then pitched his feet down. He landed with a thud and slid across the grass.

He walked up into the house. It was still empty. His aunt and uncle were out. He took a deep breath, and walked over to the garbage can. He reached down inside of it and plucked out the curled scrap of paper, took it, and smoothed it out. For a while he stared at the single printed word, as if it would change, and then turned it over. On the back, written in another hand, was a telephone number. He took it to the phone, pressed the headset between his ear and his shoulder, and dialed. After a few seconds of clicking, someone picked up on the other end.

"He-"

"Wark!"

Shinji blinked. He heard a woman's voice. "Give me that! I told you not to answer the phone!"

"Umm," said Shinji.

The female voice drew nearer the receiver on the other end. "Katusragi."

"Uh," said Shinji. "Hello? I got a letter, and think I was supposed to call-"

"Oh," the woman said slowly. "I bet you're Shinji. Are you cute?"

Shinji almost dropped the phone. "I, uh, that is, what?"

"I'm Misato Katsuragi. I'll be picking you up at the train station. I'll send you the tickets and a picture, so you can recognize me," her voice dropped in mock seduction, "Just make sure you pay attention to my face. I know how you teenage boys can be."

Shinji swallowed, hard. "I-I will, umm, thank you,"

"See you in a week," she said sweetly, and then hung up.

Shinji rested the phone on the cradle, and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. He closed the door, sat down at his little desk, and unfolded the piece of cloth he carried in his pocket. He put the canister aside and looked at the cloth, wondering if it was a flag or a blanket or something else. When he turned it around in his hands, he had an idea.

He opened the top drawer of his desk, and pulled out his sewing kit.

* * *

><p>You have been reading<p>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter One: From Another World_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Shinji had mixed feeling about the train. He had mixed feelings about everything, really. He was about to travel to Tokyo-3, a place of dreams half remembered, of sunset walks with a mother whose face had long ago fled the fuzzy reaches of his childhood memories. It was a clear afternoon on the day he was to make the journey, and he no longer thought of going to the city as going home, but leaving it. His meager belongings were packed in his one bag, the same one he'd brought with him when he first moved out into the country with his aunt and uncle. Inside he had his folded uniform jacket, a week's worth of white shirts and black slacks, some underwear and socks, and tucked inside the very bottom, the silver canister and the crystal hidden inside. The red and blue cloth was, well, under his current shirt and pants. He'd picked up a pair of gloves –he was wondering how they were going to hold up– to keep from leaving his fingerprints anywhere. The idea of wearing a mask had occurred to him, but something seemed wrong about that, contradictory.<p>

Instead, he slipped a pair of glasses on his face. He picked up a pair of thick plastic frames at the pharmacy in town, with the minimum magnification. He told the clerk they were for his uncle. He kept them in his pocket until he got on the train, then pulled them out and put them on. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to looking through the lenses, but he was getting used to it. Like the train ride out, he was alone. His father's organization had probably booked the whole train for him, for security purposes, or something like that. He had vague memories of Gendo Ikari being a very important man. Wrapped up in the cords to its earbuds was an old SDAT player that he kept in his pocket. He'd brought it with him when he moved away, but never took to the habit of listening to it. The symphony of nature and the world around him was already more interesting. Now that he understood why he heard things no one else could, it was even more comforting.

When the train arrived at Tokyo-3, the platform was strangely empty. It slid to a stop with a pneumatic hiss and the doors opened. He stepped out, suitcase in hand, and looked around. The station was empty. This Katsuragi woman was supposed to meet him outside, so he walked through the platform and jogged down the steps to the vast asphalt parking lot, baking in the endless summer sun. To his eye, the lot was a playground of light and color. He saw the heat rising from the surface and the gamma radiation scattering against the atmosphere in tones no human brain could process. In the distance, he heard the sound of a single electric car engine whining, and nearly drowned out by it, a woman's voice.

_…i'm late…_

He blinked, and winced when he heard the explosion, far off in the distance, followed by a resounding boom, and then another, and another, rolling under his feet. Bag in hand, he darted for the edge of the parking lot to the nearest pay phone, pulled out Katusragi's number, and dialed. Instead of a ring, he got a tone and a recorded message.

"Due to the state of emergency, all lines are currently unavailable-"

There was another explosion in the distance, and behind him a flock of gulls took to wing, flapping off into the clear blue. In the distance, framed by the haze of heat rising from the road, was a slender girl in a school uniform, the pale skin of her face framed by silvery hair with a tinge of blue to it. He blinked. There was no infrared heat rising from her skin, and her toes dangled above the ground. He blinked again, and she was gone. At that moment, he heard the screech of tires and a blue sports car drifted around the corner, leaving the acrid taste of burned rubber in his mouth. He put the phone back on the hook and picked up his bag.

Before he could approach the car, the driver's door swung open, and out stepped the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in person. His feet suddenly seemed much larger and heavier, and he nearly tripped over himself before he managed to cough into his hand and stand still. She had on a red jacket and a black, very tight sweater and skirt. A cross made of polished white metal rested on her chest. Her pretty face was framed with thick, lustrous hair so black it was almost blue.

"Hi! You must be Shinji."

His mouth closed. "Um, yes. That's me."

She smiled. "Come on, we-"

His head snapped to the direction of the explosions, and he felt the wave of pressure as something enormous moved past the nearby hills. It stepped out into full view in a single, fluid motion, its grace in otherworldly contrast with its size. Human in shape, its greenish black body, slick like that of a fish, was covered in bony protrusions like ribs. Between huge, square shoulders sat a mask-like, beaked face that gave it the impression of a curious bird. Beneath the mask, a shining red sphere of some mineral was embedded in its chest. Shinji could see the swirling energies within, radiating out into the creature's body. It was so huge, it took him a moment just to process how far away it was.

"Get in the car!"

Shaking himself out of it, Shinji opened the door, tossed his suitcase in the back behind the seats, and slid inside, yanking the door shut behind him with a clap. The woman jumped into the car beside him, threw it into gear, and pulled away before she even had her door all the way closed. She brushed her hair out of her face and leaned over the seat back to look out the back window.

"I'm Misato, by the way," she said absently, steering forward while looking backwards.

"Umm," said Shinji.

"Oh, right, the road."

She turned around and dropped into her seat and floored it, taking the first corner hard. Shinji glanced back at the approaching creature, and had the distinct sensation, as its beaky face swept around curiously, that it was looking directly at him. He glanced between the thing and Miss Misato.

"Did you get the picture?"

"Yes," said Shinji, and he blushed reflexively. The photo was positively indecent. "Um, what is that?"

"That," said Misato, "is an angel. We're here to fight it."

"We?"

"Nerv."

She tossed him a thin bound book and he caught it. The cover was marked Nerv Operations Manual- Eyes Only. He swallowed.

"Top secret?"

"Yup," said Misato.

Over their heads, a heavy black missile roared, leaving a wake of thick smoke. The head and pressure washing over the car as it passed made Misato swerve, and Shinji was momentarily afraid she was going to wrap them around a telephone pole. He almost grabbed for the wheel. When she rounded the next curve, he stared at her in mute shock. She peeked at him over her sunglasses and grinned.

"Watch the road!"

"Will you relax?"

He looked over his shoulder again. "I'd be a lot more relaxed if there wasn't a whatever that thing is chasing us."

He put his head out the window and watched a small cloud of strange, tilt-wing flying machines move overhead in formation, launching rockets from pods at their sides. He glanced back at the creature, who ignored it all, the projectiles exploding before they even touched it. It stood, its arms went limp, and a ring of fuzzy purplish light formed around its body. There was a pulse of energy that moved through the ground, and the creature lifted off from the ground. It soared up into the sky and came down not far from the train station, raising a cloud of debris.

Misato looked uneasily into the rearview mirror and floored it, the car building up to an unpleasant, wheel-lifting speed as it careened down a hill road around a gentle curve. Shinji reflexively gripped the sides of his seat to resist sliding into her. For her part, there was a look of intense concentration, almost bliss, on her face.

He looked up and saw the flying ships retreating.

Misato saw it too.

"Oh shit," she whispered.

"What…"

He turned, and saw the object fall, a dull green metal cylinder the size of a small house. It tumbled out of the sky in the wake of a flying wing until a parachute opened, whipping it around as it slowed. As it neared the creature, he saw the reaction inside it, saw the burst of energy and light take shape and liquefy the outside of the vessel, then vaporize it. The air heated and expanded around it, and to him, time slowed. He turned, and Misato was screaming something at him, but her movements were in slow motion, her voice dulled to a deep rumble as each word was drawn out. As the side of the car began to lift, Shinji slid his arms under her, pulled her onto his lap, and put his arms around her head.

Time cut up with a rush of motion and the car lifted and turned, end over end. Shinji's body was relentlessly pounded against the side and he grunted, shielding Misato with his body. With a final crunch, it landed on its roof and the pillars collapsed, pressing the whole weight of the car down on top of him. He held onto her limp body as best he could while he rested her on the upturned roof, put his hands and feet against it, and pushed. With a squeal of metal and the tinkling of broken glass, the body of the car pushed slowly up. He kicked the door and it went flying, tented in the middle from the impact. Carefully, cradling her neck and knees, he worked his way out through the opening and spread her out on the grass. He grabbed the headrest of his seat, pulled, and snapped it free, and slid it under her head.

Misato was breathing evenly, but she was unconscious. He lifted his glasses and squinted. She didn't appear to have any broken bones, but her left ankle looked angry. He pulled his suitcase out of the back of the car and set it down, and then stood up and turned around.

Someone had lit the world on fire. The angel creature stood, wreathed in flames, its body warped and contorted from the explosion. Its chest-face was pushed in and dented, the mask covered in spiraling fractures, like a dropped vase. As he watched, it bubbled and moved, a new face pushing up under the old as its flesh warped and sloughed away in thin sheets. Shimmering planes of light formed and then vanished around it, guiding the flames away from its body. He stood up, stared at it, and took a deep breath. There he opened his shirt, exposing the strange emblem beneath.

* * *

><p>Swimming through the link control liquid was a far different proposition from swimming through water, even seawater. It was denser than saline, but it was paradoxically easier to sink, one of many curious properties the substance displayed. In theory, Ritsuko could have forgone a breathing apparatus entirely, but that would have required she breathe the stuff in directly, fill her lungs with it. She had tried the process before, and found it somewhere between waterboarding and a bad cold. Without a small electric current running through it, the oxygenation effect was less pronounced, and she would quickly tire and end up sinking to the bottom of the Eva cage, stranded there until someone rescued her.<p>

Unit One was to move today, and she had to make sure it was ready. She decided to do a manual check on the left knee joint, which had been buggy lately, as well as take a few samples of the flesh of the creature that was contained within the armor for later comparison. Contamination could prove as disastrous as an angel breaching Terminal Dogma, and she was reluctant to authorize Unit One to move at all, but the Commander insisted. Supposedly, they were receiving a new pilot today, which was small comfort given that she'd already suffered through half an hour of "this is not a drill" as the angel was detected and approached the coastline. Years of drilling and training went out the window as her subordinates confronted the reality that yes, this was all real, and Nerv wasn't an elaborate, multinational Ponzi scheme.

Drifting through the tank of liquid, the machine, the _thing, _beyond dwarfed her. The lights were off and she had a heavy flashlight pack on her waist, and it gave the whole affair a sepulchral air, as if she were exploring a sunken tomb. Once she found her way to the knee joint, it was a matter of looking for stress fractures in the armor joint. The creature inside was powerfully muscled, but the square cube law demanded the strange effects of a super solenoid engine or special reinforcement and composite materials for its movement to actually be possible. In a way, it was exciting. She was the architect and steward of the most advanced weapons system, the most advanced system of any kind, period, ever constructed by the human race. It was awe inspiring. It was all that stood between them all and certain death, and the only available pilot was either absent or a cloned, experimental _thing_ that currently lay in the infirmary, swathed in bandages and on the brink of death.

She pumped her legs, proud that between all her duties, years of rigorous academic study with terminal degrees in two separate, unrelated disciplines and advanced study in a third that had only recently come into existence, she managed to stay in shape. The swims helped. By the time she reached the surface and started stripping out of her wetsuit, she expected the new pilot to arrive any moment. The LCL was still drying in her hair, and would be a pain to get out later, when she shrugged into her lab coat and stepped into the elevator. She half expected Misato to be inside, and bump into her; the klutz was always getting lost. Instead, it was empty, and she was trapped with the ticking sound of the rotary floor counter above the door. Her cell phone rang, and she pulled it from her coat pocket and pressed it to her ear.

"Akagi," said the Commander.

She blinked, expecting Misato. "Sir?"

"The spare will not arrive on time. You will need to prep Unit One for Rei."

She froze, and felt a sudden chill when the doors open. Ikari didn't want for her to reply and hung up on her, leaving her to dumbly flip the phone closed and slip it into her pocket. She swallowed, hard, and walked onto the bridge. The technicians looked at her expectantly, and she took a breath, hoping her fear wasn't written on her face. The three primary technicians, Ibuki, who Ritsuko new idolized her, Hyuga, and Aoba turned and waited expectantly for her orders.

"Start loading Rei's core data into Unit One. Get somebody down there to wake her up."

* * *

><p>For Rei Ayanami, the world was a fuzz of pain and a never-ending blur of gray tones. As they rolled her down the causeway on her gurney, the flickering overhead lights passed towards her belly one by one, sliding into and out of view with a discomforting regularity ticked off by the click-click of the wheels and the soft sounds of the doctors and nurses walking beside her. She could accept no painkillers, as she was still on standby to pilot and her broken arm, cracked ribs and wounded eye lanced with pain with every breach, and every moment was a monumental effort of will not to break down and moan, the urge kept in check by years of emulating her Commander's stoicism.<p>

To show weakness would not do. Tools did not show weakness. Her pain, great though it was, was temporary, a test before the great reward of eternal nothingness that would come at the end of her service, promised to her since she first remembered emerging from the tank deep within Central Dogma. There, she had been promised that one day, release would be given. It was the Commander who met her when she emerged and swaddled her in a warm towel while the old man Fuyutsuki looked on. Through all the experiments and synch tests and the endless sessions in the dummy plug plant, standing in a crushingly small cylinder with Akagi poring over her nude body, the Commander and his strength were a constant. Her loyalty to him was absolute.

She barely noticed when the gurney stopped rolling. They had taken her to Unit One, the Oni System, the subject of rumor and superstition among the men in orange suits and hard hats; they said it was haunted, that it watched them as if it were a living thing. Artistry and metaphor often escaped Rei, but looking up at the thing through her one blurred eye, she understood there fears. It stood in the cage like an ancient god in a hidden altar, huge and hungry. The peculiar cast of its features certainly lent itself to the association. Where Unit Zero, the Eva she was intended to pilot, was smooth and rounded and insect-like in form, Unit Zero had a peculiar tendency towards ornamentation, with a mask shaped like an ancient demon with a single horn. Its great head was pitched forward, as if in contemplation, and from it jutted an entry plug, the marked gray tube she would ride into the core of the living creature bound within the machines. There was a familiarity to it, like going home.

They had her in a specially designed plugsuit, one which freed her arms, as a normal one wouldn't be able to close around the cast on her left arm. Unfortunately, that meant she had to be handled somewhat roughly by the doctors to get it on. She was stripped first, exposed to the cold air in the cage, and then lifted each leg to help them pull it on. From there, a nurse held her up by the shoulders while a doctor rubbed cold jelly on her skin and applied sensors, followed by the hardened upper parts of the suit itself. When it cinched closed on her bruised ribs she did let out a small grunt, but contained herself admirably. She knew the Commander would be proud.

Once she was prepared, they slid the nerve clips into her hair and two nurses on either side lifted her using the sheet on which she lay, cradling her. The link control liquid, stinking of copper, swished under their legs as they slowly worked their way into it and positioned her on the command chair and slid the sheet out from under her. Soaked in LCL, they balled it up and tossed it outside. Ordinarily she would be free to move in the plug, but today she was strapped to the seat to prevent further injuries, and her right hand was secured to the control yoke with a strap, while he left was carefully positioned in a sling. The nurses crawled out one by one, and with a hiss the plug began to flood, the level of fluid rising rapidly. The coldness of it stung her as it slid up around her waist and started to pool against her hips and soak her rib wrappings.

She held her breath as the synchronization started. It felt like something picking up along her spine from the small of her back, caressing the crease of her spine with ghostly fingers until it reached her head, settled on her skull, and became a pressure on her head. The plug swirled around her, displaying a thousand colors and none, and finally the outside world of the plug distorted by the huge size of the creature she was synchronized with. She could feel it, feel its power and the tension in its body, a distant sensation on the other side of her own, masked by the pain. She made no sound as the rear wall of the cage began to move, sliding her past spinning orange caution lights. She almost grunted when it stopped and the Evangelion bounced slightly, and again as the locking mechanism secured the massive shoulder pylons.

When the launcher fired, she screamed.

* * *

><p>Shinji was beginning to doubt his sanity. When his feet left the earth, clad in the work-boots he'd pulled out of his bag and switched for his dress shoes, there was a certain giddy uncertainty to it. He wondered for the briefest instant if he was an insane asylum and his fractured mind was producing some crazy hallucination to replace his dreary reality. He spared himself a glance, looked down at himself- he'd had enough material to make a shirt and a short cape, and had to use a pair of denim jeans to make up the rest of the suit. At least it was blue. The moment of doubt was rapidly overcome by the giddy sensation of <em>flying<em>, that he could fly. The ground tilted and yawed lazily beneath him and he looked up, refocused on his task.

The angel was insanity given form. It stood in the midst of a great haze, a cloud of floating white ash moving in strange swirls on the currents of the wind. The world had turned red from the dust and ash in the air, the sun fuzzed over. Drifts of cinders floated against the angel and before they touched it, slid along hexagons of pale orange light that flickered into being and deflected it away. The creature, its broad body hunched around itself, rose and fell in great breaths, sucking in thrumming whorls of air through ribbed meshes of pale red flesh embedded in its size. Its beak-mask was cracked and hanging limply to one side, and beneath it, a new one, pale and clean, was pushing free. In the thing's belly, the great red sphere pulsed and scintillated with strange energy, flooding Shinji's vision with every part of the spectrum at once, and then some. He had to squint to look at it.

It turned its gaze on him. Pushing free of the charred flesh around it, the new mask shoved the old one aside, leaving it hanging like a trophy. The creature drew in on itself, then stood to its full height, and he heard the sound of its very skin straining. Its long arms thickened and lengthened, and when it moved, its legs stretched out a bit, elongating its stride. As it moved out of the crater left by the bomb, thin strips of its charred skin sloughed off, revealing new, fresh tissue beneath. He came to a hover in the air, hands out to his sides, as it turned, still looking at him, and began stomping down the mountain slope towards the city. It took no notice of him as he passed it in the air, arms pressed tightly to his side.

For its last few steps into the city proper, the creature slid down the hillside, digging deep trenches in the earth beneath its feet. It came to crouch and gazed into the city proper. Shinji flew past it, pushing himself harder and harder, and then turned. He heard something coming, rumbling upwards from within the city itself. Tokyo-3 stretched out beneath him, all glass and steel and concrete, although he remembered there being more tall buildings. There were only a few, and they were mostly solid, though some concealed artillery and missiles and bizarre weapons he could have sworn were rifles and pistols and knives, but so insanely big that their simple existence made no sense at all.

The rumbling sound grew louder, and there was a great hiss of escaping gas. Two rails, huge sections of metal beam, shot out of the ground. A moment later, the surface of the street beneath them divided, and a titan of gleaming, polished steel and composites rocketed skyward, bouncing into place between the rails on a huge carriage. It was decked out in purple and green, and had a demonic cast two it, with an angry, grimacing mask and central horn. He thought he heard an agonized grunt as it came to a stop, the head rocking upwards, as if at attention, from the motion. He stared at it, open-mouthed.

The angel moved. For its size, its speed was astonishing. It look long, loping strides, not caring as it kicked right through a squat housing block. Shinji gasped and raced downwards, trailing beneath its feet. He coughed as he slid into the cloud of dust and debris, glancing in all directions, listening. It seemed like they'd evacuated, but if anyone was inside, they-

He heard something. A cry of wordless terror, high-pitched and breathless. He raced towards it, crossing his arms before his face to slam through the particle-board wall. A little girl, maybe five or six, was huddled in the corner of a small apartment, clutching a toy robot to her chest. Shinji didn't have time to speak. With a groan, the wall on the other side yawed forward. He moved between the falling timbers and the let girl, scooping her up as the debris slammed across his back, driving his heels deep into the floor. He took a few steps, shook the remaining hunks of wall off his back, and shook the dust free from his boots.

He looked up through the open ceiling. The angel and the robot grappled, the latter feebly, turned easily by the creature. The girl screamed, and another section of wall came down over his head. He raised his hand and caught it, pushing it away with his palm. He had to get her out, or she'd be crushed. She looked up at him.

"Where is everybody?" said Shinji.

The girl worked her mouth silently for a moment. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I don't know."

Shinji sucked in a breath, turned, and shouldered the broken wall aside. The girl screamed as he jumped down from the floor onto the street below, and then blinked in astonishment as he landed unscathed. He looked around, until he saw a blinking sign indicating an emergency shelter. He sprinted towards it, cradling the girl in his arms. The arrows pointed down a set of concrete steps, like the entrance to a subway. He jogged down the steps, looked around, and spotted the door. It was a sliding section of steel, and there definitely wasn't a doorbell. He felt along its length, knocked a few times, and huffed out a breath.

"Hold on."

The girl tightened her grip around his neck, and with one arm free, he found the edge of the door, curled his fingers under it, and pushed. The door groaned in its track until it began to ratchet along, clanging loudly. Once he had it open enough to slip inside, he walked into the open space. Half a hundred people were huddled along the walls. A cloud of terror hung in the air as they murmured to each other, men and women, boys and girls, children clinging to mothers clinging to fathers. The sound of something huge hitting the ground rippled around them, and thin streamers of dust came down from the roof. There was a gasp.

"Kanna!"

` A boy Shinji's age ran up to him and pulled the girl from his arms. She grabbed onto him excitedly, squeaking with joy. The boy stared at Shinji, blinking eyes reddened from fighting back tears. His mouth moved, but no sounds came out. Shinji shrugged.

"Who…" the boy trailed off, "How…"

"Just trying to help," said Shinji.

He turned and jogged back through the door. The boy followed him, still clutching the girl in his arms. He barely kept up, poking his head through the door of the shelter just in time to see Shinji take the last bounding step to the surface and take off, the air rippling beneath his feet in a little circle of dust as he went airborne. He gave a final wave as he moved up and away, cresting the rooftops, circling wildly.

He caught sight of the angel as it lifted the robot by its head, claws wrapped around its armored helmet. The robot's right arm dangled limply, and he winced. Instinctively, he opened his gaze, and started in shock. The thing had muscles, bones, nerves, a brain. Wires and metal struts and motors were embedded all through its body, and painful looking bolts were jammed into the long muscles of its legs and back. The dangling arm was broken, the huge bone cracked in a horrid spiral. He heard the soft groan again and the realization swept over him. There was a pilot. Someone had put a human being inside that _thing_,and it was hurting her.

He cried out as he flew into the angel fist-first, the wisdom of his action forgotten. In his short experience, he had forgotten something vital and important, namely pain, and how much it hurt. Recognition somehow obvious in the hollows of its mask, it turned and swept is arm, and when its hand hit him it actually hurt, and sent him tumbling head over heels through the air. The world spun wildly around him, and he moved with such intensity that when he hit the side of a building, it didn't arrest his momentum at all. He crashed all the way through both walls and dug a furrow in the street, great leaves of cracked asphalt lifting up around him like petals of a flower.

The creature turned back to the robot, and something glowing with intense heat and energy slid back from its forearm, punching through its own elbow, and then slid home like a pile driver. The robot shuddered, its good arm twitching, but made no move to defend itself. The creature lifted it higher, the enormous body of the robot rag-dolling as it hung by its own neck, and then casually tossed it backwards. It landed in the side of one of the thick armored buildings in a heap, crashed through it, and came to rest on the other side.

Shinji shook himself out of it, jumped, and took off. He flew to the robot's side, dodging a downward-slashing blow from the angel's long claws, whirled around, and planted both fists in the center of its mask. It took a stumbling step backwards, and the mask tilted to one side, like a confused bird. Shinji pushed backwards to avoid its windmilling arm, looked over his shoulder, and headed for the robot. He found a piece of concrete the size of a city bus, slid under it, and lifted. It pressed down on his palms, and he felt the surface of it cracking under his fingers. He pushed it up in the air, reeled back, and threw it. It streaked towards the angel like a missile, but rather than hit it, shattered into dust on a plane of orange light interposed between it and the creature. Shinji blinked.

It looked at him. The air around its hollow eyes crackled, and there was a flash. His world went white, and he tumbled through the air. He felt it as he hit the robot's chest, slid across, and came to rest on the armor of its shoulder. He blinked, his head spinning from the force of the impact. Thin wisps of smoke curled around his fingers, and his eyes stung as if from staring too long into the sun, a long forgotten sensation. He rolled into a crouch.

A piece of armor hung limply from the robot's arm, hanging by a few thin strands of cable. He took hold of it, snapped it off, and held it before him like a great shield. The angels' next blast parted around it as he pushed forward. It fired again and again, the force and heat turning the metal in his hands white-hot. It softened and began to cave in just as he thrust it to the side and pushed forward. He felt a momentary resistance as the angel raised the strange field of energy between them. It felt white-hot against his hands, and as he pushed into it, the creature recoiled, leaning away. He felt it breaking, separating under his fingers, and it vanished. He surged forward and slammed into its body without quite meaning to, and it stumbled backwards into one of the armored skyscrapers. Shinji dodged another blow, slipping between its fingers.

"I must be crazy!" he shouted, "I must be crazy!"

The angel reeled, stood, and swiped angrily at him, ignoring the stricken robot, now lying prone in the remnants of the smashed structure. He swore he could see annoyance within its unmoving mask. He dodged between its talons, rocketed down the length of its arm, and wound up. His fist met the angel's pointed face with a resounding boom, and he felt the impact shuddering up his arm. It stumbled backwards, and emitted a strange, cooing cry, a high-pitched wail that slid into his brain through his ears and made him break out in goosebumps.

He was knocking it around, but he wasn't doing any damage to it. The robot was down, unmoving, and the angel seemed to turn its attentions to him more out of annoyance than anything. He swept low, and the creature cried again, rattling his teeth. It covered the red sphere in its belly with one arm, snicker-snacking its other clawed at him, trying to shoo him away from it. He rolled onto his back, looked at the glowing sphere, and turned. He hit it hard, planting both fists into it. The angel's entire form shook, nearly throwing him off, and it cried out in fury, the sound louder now, and deeper. Its entire manner changed, and it raked itself with its own claws. He barely danced out of the way, rolling over one long, slender blade of bone and back onto the red sphere. He punched it again, and sliver-thin cracks trickled out from his fist.

The creature began spinning, digging furrows in its own flesh as he pounded on the sphere. It hit him, and the hard edge of the claw trailed him through the angel's flabby white innards. Coughing, he threw a long stringer of muck away from his face and crawled back onto the red sphere and kept pounding until the fissure deepened enough that he could wedge his fingers into it. He began to pull, cracking it apart with all his might, straining against himself to press the two halves the sphere apart. One moment, the red sphere was solid, harder than rock or steel, and the next, it shattered into a thousand pieces. Thick, red fluid swelled over him, washing him out of the cavity the sphere had occupied. The angel stumbled one, twice, and raked its claws down the side of the armored building as it fell. Shinji jumped away and slid out from under it, just in time.

When it hit the ground, the creature seemed to deflate, flattening and shrinking on itself a little. It lay unmoving, boneless, and a runny orange liquid began seeping out of it, faster and faster. The trickle became a torrent, flooding out from under its skin with a vast, vile sucking sound as it burst apart like a rotten fruit, until there were only indefinable red chunks rapidly melting into orange ooze. The bits of flesh stuck to Shinji himself did the same, sliding away into thin streamers of liquid, robbed of their integrity. He hovered in the air, panting.

He heard a muffled groan.

He raced to the robot, or cyborg, or whatever it was. The pilot's chamber, a contraption that bored into the chest of the living thing within it from behind the creature's neck, was covered in tons of strange, dense flesh and armor plating, and looked like it was meant to be accessed from the back. He landed in the debris beside the head with a crunch, and for a moment, felt like the great lens of the eye was watching him. He took a breath, slid under the shoulder joint, and lifted. He was surprised by how light it was. The whole apparatus moved under him and rolled onto its other shoulder, where the undamaged arm met the body. He slid down to the surface of the rubble, wedged his fingers under the armor plating, and pulled. The machine's head pitched forward, and with a hiss a long, metallic cylinder slid out in front of him, sending him stumbling backwards.

He felt along its surface, looking for a door. He could hear breathing inside. Despairing of finding an opening, he jammed his fingers through the metal and pulled. It groaned as it twisted apart, parting in his hands. A sudden surge of liquid flowed out over him, and it stank of blood. Trickling through the ruins beneath his feet, it resembled the stuff that had spilled out of the creature. He moved into the capsule, pushing the metal sides away.

The pilot lay on her side in the chair, which had come loose from its moorings at the rear of the chamber. She was breathing shallowly, her un-bandaged eye staring and glassy. She was already covered in bandages and a heavy cast on her arm, which surrounded a broken bone. Her ribs were broken and bruise, and ground together with every breath, drawing a soft, broken sound from her, as if it hurt too much to moan. Her seat coming loose had done more. She had other internal injuries, was bleeding inside her torso, and her left leg was broken. He almost touched her but pulled back, terrified he would kill her if he dared to move her. Instead, he carefully lifted the chair, wincing as she gasped at the movement. Gingerly, he carried her, chair and all, to level ground, and set it down, propping a block of cracked cement under the chair to keep it steady. Her eye swiveled around and focused on him.

"Can you hear me?"

She almost-nodded, mostly wincing instead.

"Who… who did this to you?"

He felt a sudden impact in his back, a small slap that startled him. Something twanged off the ground a few feet away, throwing up a puff of dust and a few chips of asphalt. It was followed by another and another, pelting him as if some invisible assailant hurled stones at him. A fraction of a second later, he heard the sound of gunfire rattling off, and stumbled backwards, blinking. They were shooting him.

There was a whole army coming his way, men in radiation suits and haz-mat suits and plain black suits with black ties, and one of them was standing up in a Humvee, firing a gun at him. A bullet crossed his vision, spiraling a slow trail of disturbed air behind it, and he reached out and closed his fist around it, plucking it out of the air before it hit the girl. He blinked again, looked around, and put himself between the pilot and the oncoming vehicles.

"Stop shooting!"

The closest Humvee rolled to a stop, and a blonde woman in a labcoat jumped out, screaming. "Stop shooting, you moron! You'll hit the pilot!"

He was surrounded. Vehicles pulled up and crested the rubble pile, and the men in suits poured out, yanking guns out from under their jackets, aiming down the barrels at him. He spun in a tight circle, looking at them. A tall, balding man stepped ahead of the others, holding the sights of his gun on Shinji's head.

"Stop right there," he demanded. "You're-"

Shinji flew. He lifted straight up without preamble, his legs dangling beneath him. The agents stood under him, slack-jawed, their guns sagging to the earth as they watched him pick up speed, crest the robot's horned head, and rocket off into the horizon.

* * *

><p>Misato woke up with a groan. She had the oddest feeling, that she was being gently cradled and rocked back and forth. Her head hurt like a sonofabitch, each beat of her heart translating into a lancing streak of pain behind her eyes. It had gone dark, and she was looking up at the sky. Her leg hurt, her ankle burning and sending little streamers of pain up her leg with each movement. It took her a moment to realize her head was leaning on a bony shoulder, and her arm around a young man's neck. Shinji was carrying her down the road like a newlywed, holding her under the shoulders and knees. He had his bag on a strap over his other shoulder, hanging down his back. She blinked and sat up and little, holding into his neck to keep from falling out of his grasp, and he instinctively lifted her a little higher to keep her from rolling out of his arms.<p>

"Uh," said Misato. "How…"

He shrugged, bouncing her a little. "I work out."

"Oh."

She blinked. "What happened."

"The thing…"

"Angel," she corrected.

"The angel went down into the city, and a big robot came out."

"Oh," her breath caught. "Did we win?"

She blinked and shook her head. He probably had no idea what she meant. He started walking again, plodding down the middle of the road in the moonlight. He glanced over the hills towards the faintly rising columns of dust and debris and indicated them with a nod.

"The robot didn't do so well. I don't know what happened. It got knocked down, and then the thing just died. It fell over and melted or something."

Misato looked over his shoulder. "Melted?"

He shrugged again.

"You should probably put me down."

He stopped, and gently lowered her to the pavement. Tested her weight on her foot and winced, picking it back up from the ground and resting her whole weight on her other leg. Shinji steadied her with ease, an arm around her shoulder. She took a hopping step forward, tapped her foot on the ground, and yelped. He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand.

"You want me to, um," said Shinji, trailing off.

She sighed. "Yeah."

He scooped her up again, easily supporting her weight in his arms, and she slid her arms around his neck to ease the pressure a bit. He really was well built for his age. A little feminine looking maybe, and a bit skinny, but handsome nonetheless, with deep blue eyes that had this odd, gentle look about them. It was a shame to hide them behind those glasses. She swallowed, and realized with a start that she was blushing, the skin of her cheeks positively burning. She looked down the road and cast about for something to say.

"We should commandeer a car."

"Commandeer?"

"Steal," she shrugged.

"Oh. Isn't that wrong?"

"The survival of humanity may be at stake," said Misato. "Nerv will compensate the owner."

They reached the edge of town, after what felt like forever. She spotted a likely vehicle and directed him to it with her finger. He held her up while she glanced in through the window, confirming that it was a manual. Shinji lowered her to the ground and she leaned on the fender and shrugged off her jacket. He took it, and she rubbed at her bare arms, suddenly aware of the cold. He layered the cloth over the window and thunked his elbow against it.

"Ow!"

She sighed. "Oh, come on. Try again."

He wound up this time, and hit the window again. There was a slightly louder thump, and he yelped in pain. She shook her head, hobbled over, and gave her best war-cry as she rammed it with her elbow and shattered the glass. She pulled her coat out, brushed the tiny squares of safety glass away from the sill and hobbled inside. She pulled up the lock on the other side of the little car, and Shinji got in, holding his bag on his lap. She grunted as she tried to work the clutch with her bad foot, and then used her right. She finally managed to get the car rolling forward, popped the clutch, and it started. She let out a sigh of relief, until she had to pull her foot back and found she couldn't open the throttle, and the car stalled.

"Great," she muttered.

She pulled the emergency brake to arrest the car's movement, opened the door, and slid out.

"C'mere."

Shinji got out of the car and came around to her side.

"Do you know how to drive?"

"No," he said sheepishly.

"Great," said Misato. "Of course not, you're not old enough for, what?"

"Two years," he shrugged.

"Okay, fine. This how is this is going to work. I'm going to sit on your lap, and you're going to work the gas for me while I work the clutch and steer."

He looked at her askance for a moment and sat down in the driver's seat. He took hold of the steering wheel for a moment, and then looked around. Misato huffed, and he let go of the wheel, carefully setting his hands at his side. She sat down on his lap and leaned against him, then pulled the door shut with a slap. This time, with Shinji working the gas pedal for her, she managed to get the car to both start and stutter into first gear, and then second. She took over working the gas herself from there, mentally apologizing to the owner for racing the engine. Shinji squirmed a little, but kept quiet. She glanced at the rearview mirror and smirked. He was as red as a beet. Of course, since she was a fairly deep shade of pink herself, she decided to leave off the ribbing for now.

It took them a while at slow speeds to reach the nearest Geofront entrance. She thought about it and then drove past it, towards the columns of smoke rising from the site of the battle. She rolled up to the yellow and black hazard-striped sawhorses the Section 2 goons had set up, let the car stall, and put on the brake. Shinji almost unconsciously supported her around the waist while she got up, and then let her lean on his shoulder and hobble along, holding his bag in his other hand. She limped along until the nearest goon stopped them with a raised hand. She snorted and fished around in her jacket for her ID, flashed it, and the black-suited doofus lifted the sawhorse aside so they could pass.

"Don't call a medic or anything," Misato mumbled.

When they reached the great pile of wreckage where Unit One lay, she could see why. To say that it had lost the battle was something of an understatement. The right arm was devastated, obviously broken, the armor pried away, and there was serious damaged to the helmet section, including a missing eye. It lay on its side, almost fetal, and the entry plug had been extracted. She tested her foot and found she could walk a bit, now, and then looked down at her feet. She curled her toes up, wincing at the pain, and realized she'd lost her shoes. She hadn't even noticed before.

From the crowd of technicians, Ritsuko Akagi appeared. Misato put her hands on her hips, and felt less martial than usual, with her hair all out of sorts and her jacket scuffed from breaking the glass and generally looking like she'd been blown up by a freaking atomic bomb, trapped in a rolled over car, and carried down a hillside in someone else's arms. Despite the circumstances, Ritsuko didn't look much better. Her face was tight with worry, and the lines around her eyes stood out more than usual. Shinji backed away, and Misato glanced over Ritsuko's shoulder.

The entry plug was a mess. It lay almost bent in half, the side bulged out as if something had torn it apart. Misato's breath caught.

"Where's Rei? Is she-"

"Alive," said Ritsuko. "Barely. It's bad."

Misato looked away. "How bad?"

"I can't say," Ritsuko said flatly. "We'll see. I have our top doctors looking at her."

"What about the Eva?"

Ritsuko scrubbed a hand through her blonde hair, turned, and looked up at the prone machine. "The right arm suffered a compound fracture. We're going to have to remove and replace it. Repairing the head is going to take a week, and we'll be taking a hit in the budget for the armor and mechanical repairs."

Both women sighed, looked at each other, and Misato was sure that Ritsuko was also wondering how the hell they ended up here. The moment broke when her old friend's gaze settled on Shinji.

"This is him?"

"Yeah," Misato perked up. "Shinji Ikari, this is-"

"You're late," Ritsuko said flatly.

Shinji shrunk on himself. Misato glanced at him, then planted her fists on her hips.

"It's not his fault. It's not your fault if you're late if someone nukes you."

Ritsuko blinked. "You mean-"

"Yeah, the N2 went off pretty close to us. My car is totaled, hence the stolen commuter car," said Misato, and thumbed over her shoulder to the little compact she'd commandeered.

"Totaled?"

"Yeah," said Misato. "It looks like someone stepped on it. Shinji had to carry me down the damn mountain. That's what took us so long."

Shinji scratched at the back of his neck, and blushed.

"Hail the conquering hero," Ritsuko said wryly. "Okay, it's not your fault. I wish you'd shown up on time, though. Rei wasn't in shape for this."

"Rei?"said Shinji.

"The pilot. She was hurt testing the other Eva… You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Shinji shook his head. "I left the book in the car."

Ritsuko eyed him, then narrowed her eyes at Misato, who snickered nervously.

"Well," said Ritsuko. "We'll need to find a place for you to stay. It's going to take at least a day to recover Unit One," she aimed a finger at the Evangelion, "and Misato needs to explain to you what the hell you're doing here, Third Child."

"Third what?" said Shinji.

"Third Child, Designated Pilot of Unit One."

"What of _what?_"

* * *

><p>Gendo Ikari hunched over his desk, hands folded together to conceal his tightly pressed together lips, the only sign of distress on his mercurial face. This was an unmitigated disaster. The one tiny bit of luck he'd had was the opportunity to shuffle the Japanese Strategic Self Defense men out of Central Dogma before the battle began in earnest, so that they wouldn't personally see the Evangelion, to use a colloquialism, get its ass handed to it. Letting Rei pilot was preferable to the alternative, but he had not expected her to fare so poorly. She'd barely synched, and her poor conditioned combined with her poor control over the Unit, building upon themselves into a mere forty seconds of deployment before the angel handily defeated it. If it hadn't been for outside intervention, the creature would have inevitably succeeded in breaching the Geofront, or they would have had to deploy the full N2 arsenal. Either way, his entire Scenario would have ended then and there, permanently and irrevocably.<p>

This all weighed on his mind as he eyes flitted from the printed image on his desk, a single blurry frame from a security camera mounted on one of the recovery vehicles, in black and white and distorted, to Ritsuko Akagi, standing before him with her arms pressed to her side, looking haggard. She hadn't slept in quite a while, obviously, and her hair was pressed to the sides of her head with sweat, the effect enhanced by the dark roots creeping at the crown of her head where she parted it. She waited as he examined the image.

"What is that?"

"I don't know," she said calmly. "It… he can fly. I saw it. He flew."

"I see," said Gendo. "What else."

"One of the security men shot him. There was no effect."

"Define 'no effect.'"

"The bullets bounced off. They couldn't pierce his skin."

He tapped the image with his finger. "The entry plug?"

She swallowed. "He did that. He bent the steel with his bare hands."

He folded his hands together again. He glanced at his fingernails. He needed a manicure. "I see. What is the First's condition?"

"She's half dead, in a coma. All of her ribs are broken. Her torso is practically jelly. She has a hairline skull fracture, a broken leg, and a chipped vertebrae. If we took steps to employ her organ, she could regenerate in, perhaps, a month."

"No. We need her functional immediately. Euthanize her, and bring out the third. Plan to isolate her for two weeks."

"But…" she trailed off.

He hardened his gaze. Akagi nodded. "Will there be anything else?"

"Yes. The existence of this… interloper threatens the integrity of this project. I expect the utmost secrecy. Transfers, termination, anything you need, keep your science people from discussing what they say. I will contact Yoshida from Section 2 and do the same. Is that understood?"

She nodded, and turned.

"Wait."

She stopped.

"Get a few hours of sleep, shower, fix your hair. Wear the outfit I bought you."

"Yes, sir."

The door slid shut behind Akagi, and he leaned back in his office chair. He looked around his cavernous tomb of an office, sighing at the petulance of the design. As much as it intimidated others, it grew tiresome, day after day. His phone rang, and he picked up the receiver.

"Commander?"

It was Katsuragi, his thoroughly annoying operations director. Competent at her job though she was, a conversationalist, she was not.

"What?"

He listened to her quail on the other end of the phone, composing herself.

"Sir, I was wondering… your… Shinji… The Third Child will be staying in an apartment?"

"Where would you propose he stay?"

"Well, that's the thing, sir. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like him to stay with me."

"Very well," he said, and hung up.

* * *

><p>Shinji watched Misato hang up the receiver, and Misato stared at the phone for a moment, as if thought it might ring. She worried it with her thumb for a moment, and then released it, turning to Shinji with a smile. She moved lightly on her crutches, her wrapped foot held from the ground beneath her. She wobbled a little and she shook her head, shooing him away when he moved to steady her. She looked at him like the cat that'd caught the canary.<p>

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"We're going to be roomies!"

He blinked. "Um, okay, I guess."

"Oh, come on, aren't you excited? A new home in a new city, a new roommate?"

"I guess," he shrugged. "I'm worried about, what's her name, Rei?"

Misato eyed him. "Oh, I'll be you are. You dashing hero, you. You'll get to meet her soon, I'm sure. For now, we're going home and I'm going to bed before someone stops me and makes me work. You need your rest, too. You have a big day tomorrow."

"I do?"

"We're going to synch test you."

He took a look around the battlefield one more time as Misato flagged down one of the men in the dark suits. He looked around nervously, wondering if someone would recognize him, but no one did. He walked along beside her to the wooden sawhorses, where there was an actual limousine waiting for them, a big black sedan that probably had body armor. She motioned for him to join her.

"VIP treatment today," she beamed.

He helped her in first, taking her crutches as she slid inside. He rested them on the seat as he sat down himself, welcoming the feeling as he sank down into the plush back seat. Misato immediately started playing with things, running the glass partition between the back and the driver up and down, and fiddling with the switch for the moonroof.

"I wonder if there's a bar in here," she mused.

Shinji stared at her.

"Don't worry," she said, "I'm kidding. The last time I got drunk in a limo, I stood up in the sunroof and…"

He tried to stay calm, but his eyes slowly widened, and he felt the heat creeping up his face. He snapped his eyes forward as she giggled at him, amused at some private joke. He looked out the window and watched as they started moving, and the city rolled by. It was dark, and most of the place was pitch black. He saw it all perfectly of course, the shapes of the buildings lined in colors no human eye could see, illuminated by their own heat, the sky beyond an inky purple overlaid with the scintillating colors of the solar wind cascading off the atmosphere. He heard thousands of people breathing, speaking, walking, talking, the sounds blurring together into a perpetual background haze. He listened to it for a while, and barely noticed when the car pulled to a stop.

"We're here!"

He got out first, and helped Misato get out and up onto her crutches. She hobbled along and he looked up at her apartment complex, a low, nondescript, brutalist sort of building, with terraced floors, probably to save material, such that the balcony of each apartment was actually on the roof of the floor below. A quick glance told him that the whole place was empty, except for one apartment on the second floor. He blinked in confusion.

"It's a nice place," said Misato. "We have the whole building to ourselves. Very quiet."

He nodded and followed her through the security door, and into the elevator. She leaned on the wall and scrubbed her hands through her hair, a deep sigh passing through her lips, gradually transforming into a bemused snort.

"I'm not going to bite you."

He relaxed a little, just a little, as the doors opened. He followed her down the hall until she pulled out a key card, slid it through the reader, and the door opened, sliding into the wall like something out of a science fiction movie. She nodded her head at the opening, waiting for him.

"Go ahead."

He stood at the threshold for a moment, looking down at the running track where the door went. He stepped over the barrier and into the apartment, and immediately felt a bit cooler. She obviously had the air conditioning turned up. He took a few steps inside. The odor of the apartment was… interesting. She followed along behind him as he walked down the entry hallway towards the kitchen, and froze.

The kitchen was a forest of garbage, mostly empty beer cans. He looked around in dull shock, his eyes finally finding purchase on the animal sitting at the kitchen table. There was a penguin in Misato's kitchen, sitting at the table. It had a metal collar around its neck, etched with a name plate, and a red crest not unlike a rooster on its head. It looked at him with curiously intelligent eyes and squawked.

Misato nudged aside. "Oh, that's just Pen-Pen, my hot springs penguin."

Shinji's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. She smirked at him, hobbled to the refrigerator, and fished around for a can of tuna. She held it out to him.

"Do you mind?"

He took the can and began hunting for a can opener. Misato hobbled out of the kitchen. "I'm going to take quick shower, if it's okay with you."

"Fine," he said.

"Your room is down the hall. There's two empty bedrooms, the big one is yours."

He looked around and, despairing of ever sifting out can opener under all the junk even with x-ray vision, he shrugged, looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching, and jammed his thumb into the can. It crumpled and crinkled, and he pulled the lid off with a pop and emptied the can out into the penguin's dish, a red plastic bowl resting on the floor. The creature hobbled over to it, and looked up at the twisted ruins of the can in his hand.

"Don't say anything," said Shinji.

The penguin made a small gesture, almost a shrug, and started eating.

He looked around the kitchen and scratched his chin, and started moving. By the time Misato turned the water off and began brushing her teeth, he had most of the can squared away, and was busily organizing the rest. By the time she emerged from the bathroom, smelling of soap with her hair coiled in a towel, dressed in a loose yellow t-shirt and shorts that, to him, looked far too tight to be comfortable, he was dropping the last of the refuse into a garbage bag. He sealed it, carried it to the front of the apartment, and put by the door with the others. Misato stood in the kitchen, barefoot, looking around in shock.

"What did you do?"

"I cleaned," he shrugged.

She stared at him. "Why?"

"It was dirty?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "Listen, you'll have to sleep in the couch tonight, unless you want to sleep with me."

His mouth worked silently for a moment, his cheeks burning again. A mischievous smile crept across her face, and it brought a certain light to her eyes. She pulled the towel binding her hair loose and let it wetly cascade around her shoulders with a shake, like a shampoo commercial. It shone in the harsh fluorescent light of the kitchen.

She patted him on the shoulder as she limped past. "Not on the first date, kid."

His eyes only widened further.

"You're too easy," she smirked. "Seriously, go get showered up, the living room is yours until we get you something to sleep on. Watch tv or whatever, just don't be up late. We've got to be back at Nerv at seven."

He nodded and headed off to the bathroom. He looked at Pen-Pen. Pen-Pen winked at him.

He winked back.

* * *

><p>When Misato woke up, she almost forgot about her leg, and consequently yelped in pain and fell onto the pile of junk next to her bed as she tried to rise. Before she even managed to get up, she heard the rapid, rhythmic thumping of Shinji's feet rushing to her door. The alarm clock bleated in her ear, and she feebly fumbled for it, finally slapping her palm on the snooze button, and rolled into a sitting position on her bed. She saw Shinji's sock-clad feet just under the door.<p>

"Are you okay?"

She blinked. What the hell was he doing up already? It was six o'clock in the morning. There shouldn't even be a six o' clock in the morning. It was a cruel joke, sadistically naming it like that. She ran her fingers through her hair, worked her cottony mouth, and leaned forward onto her knees.

"I'm fine. You can sleep a little longer if you…"

She sniffed the air, strengthening the faint aromas that swirled around her head, and felt an instantaneous, deep pang of hunger. There was something cooking, and it smelled good. Very good. Slowly, she got to her feet, tested her foot, and hobbled along to the door. Shinji was waiting outside, wearing an apron. She didn't remember owning an apron. She looked him up and down.

"Where did you get that?"

"It's mine," he shrugged.

"You have an apron," said Misato.

He nodded, eyes wide. How the hell was he so… perky?

"And you packed it and brought it with you."

He looked at her blankly.

"How old are you again?"

"Huh?"

She shook her head. "Nevermind."

She walked into the kitchen, wincing with each step, but picking her way along a little better than the night before. A little beer would wake her right up. She fished one out of the refrigerator, and blinked. There was food in the refrigerator. Actual food, in addition to the boxes of instant meals she had stacked up. There was eggs and blocks of tofu and vegetables and wrapped slices of meat on little foam trays. She didn't have any of this last night.

"Um," she said, "Where did this come from?"

"I bought it."

"What?"

"I found an all-night store," he shrugged.

"Where did you get the money?"

"My aunt and uncle gave me some before I left. You gave me a place to stay, so I thought I'd… what?"

She blinked, shaking herself out of her stare.

"Thank you?" she said, not sure why she was posing it as question.

"You're welcome," he smiled. "Did you want some?"

"Uh, yeah, thank you."

She went to sit down, only for him to appear behind her and pull her chair out for her. She stared at him in dull shock for a second, then sat down as he slid it back under her. He went to ladle her out a cup of soup and put it in front of her while she cracked open her beer. The acrid, tinny taste was welcome, and she sat up, immediately invigorated. Then, she drank a bit of Shinji's soup.

"Holy _shit_."

"What? Is it bad?"

"Bad? This is incredible."

She finished the rest of it hungrily, and then held out the bowl for more. He obliged, refilling hers while he left his own resting on the table. He keyed open a can of sardines and put them out for Pen-Pen, and then sat down opposite her, quietly eating his own. When he finished, he took both their dishes, set them in the sink, and went off to get dressed. By the time Misato had returned to her bedroom, gotten her uniform and jacket on, and put up her hair, he was waiting patiently in the living room in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt identical to the ones he'd worn the day before.

"That's your school uniform, isn't it?"

He nodded.

"Don't you have anything else to wear?"

"Not really."

She huffed and limped down to the elevator in an old, scuffed pair of shoes, Shinji in tow. At some point, she was going to have to find the time to file an insurance claim on her car, get a new pair of shoes to go with her uniform, and get caught up on an expanding mountain of paperwork that was, no doubt, rapidly increasing in size at that very moment. At least she would get another limousine ride to Nerv. The staff cars were fairly plush, and she didn't mind taking advantage of the organization's generosity in the least.

When they got in the car, Shinji had the same wide-eyed reverence he'd had for it the night before, and she felt a certain amusement in the way he looked at everything, like it was brand new. There was a kind of childlike wonder in his eyes as they drove through the city, and the best part was yet to come. The car pulled into one of the long entry tunnels, and for a time, they were shrouded in darkness within a long tunnel like by amber lights, the sound of the car rumbling back on itself in the confined space. At length, they emerged, and the boy's gasp of surprise was almost gratifying.

The Geofront stretched out beneath them, actually bigger than the city that had been built over it. The monumental cavern was the largest construction project in human history, and it was brightly lit with the dawn-red hue of the rising sun, carried down through the earth by glittering mirrors lining the underside of the city. Shinji watched it all roll by with rapt fascination, gazing down at the rolling fields of plants and pastures, and the gleaming shape of the headquarters pyramid. It always amused her, somewhat, that she worked in a secret underground base inside a secret underground base.

"Wow," said Shinji.

"Yeah," Misato leaned over beside him. "Cool, isn't it?"

It was slightly less cool to drive along the underground surface, until she opened the suroof. Shinji glanced up through it and she nudged his shoulder.

"Go on, go ahead."

He blinked at her, then slowly stood up, poking his head out through the roof. He gasped at the rolling cool air –it was never more than about seventy degrees in the Geofront, even with the concentrated light from above—and stared at the mirror array, basking in the warm sunlight. Seated next to him, Misato leaned back and closed her eyes, and let the sunlight warm her skin. Shinji dropped into the seat beside her as the car passed into the pyramid, into the wider, more brightly lit, and generally cleaner-looking tunnel that led to the motor pool. When they parked, Shinji beat the driver to the door and opened hers. She was still dragging her foot, but looked dignified enough as they walked inside.

"We'll need to get you a new ID badge. I think the other one is still in my car."

He nodded and followed her through the security check, looking nervously at the metal detector. He fumbled with his glasses handing them to the bored-looking guard that sat next to the machine, and seemed relieved to have them back once he'd passed through. Misato enjoyed the little thrill of walking though the machine, hearing it beep from her keys and her sidearm, and ignoring it. The guard motioned her on, not even looking up from his book. Shinji glanced back at him, his brows a little scrunched, but shrugged and kept on.

Nerv proper was like a maze, the corridors all the same, marked with confusing directions, and turning and twisting on themselves for no readily apparent reason. Misato became confused a few times, and was worried she was going to be late by the time they found the elevator, but Shinji took it in stride. He waited patiently, arms at his sides, while they descended lower into the base. When they finally arrived, the doors opened to the cold air and antiseptic smell of the lower levels, where the bulk of Nerv's work was done.

"Well," she said, "this is where we part ways. Unless you want me to go into the locker room with you."

The look on his face was priceless. She let him try to formulate a reply for a moment.

"Kidding," she grinned.

The effect was somewhat lessened as she limped out of the elevator. The locker rooms were off to the right, and the technicians would take over for her, guiding him to the test plug after he changed. Misato made her way, slowly, up to the testing lab that overlooked the testing plugs, which rested on long ramps that moved them up and down into a pool of LCL where the test bodies, huge, unarmored, unfinished Evas rested. Looking at them, humanoid but without heads or legs and one-armed, their skin smooth like some sea creature, gave her the willies, so she settled into a chair near Ritsuko and her assistant, Maya Ibuki.

The lab was a spacious place that felt cramped anyway, dominated by the computer terminals and scientific whatsits. Ritsuko stood like a captain on the deck of a warship on rough seas, overseeing her little empire, although she looked a little haggard today, more than she had over the last few weeks, anyway. Misato approached her, narrowing her eyes. The woman had a livid bruise on the back of her neck, and hunched up the collar of her sweater under her labcoat to cover it up.

"What happened to you?"

Ritsuko waved a hand dismissively. "Rough night. There's our boy."

The front of the lab opened onto the great open chamber where the test plugs waited. Shinji half-waddled along uncomfortably, picking at the skin-tight plugsuit. The technicians craned their heads over their stations to watch him. As if he felt the attention, he looked up and waved feebly, frowning. Misato snickered, and Ritusko quirked an eyebrow.

"Wow. Puberty hit that kid like a freight train."

Misato bit the back of her hand, trying not to laugh. Ritsuko eyed her. "Nevermind. Let's focus on the test."

Watching him climb into the plug was awkward. He seemed repulsed by the liquid inside, and when he finally sunk into it and they closed the door, his voice came over the loudspeakers in the lab.

"Is it supposed to be so cold?"

Ritsuko thumbed a switch on the console. "It'll warm up when we electrolyze it. Remember, just breathe it in."

Shinji gargled as the LCL flooded his test plug. He coughed and sneezed at the same time, and managed to croak, "This is disgusting."

"Just breathe normally," Ritsuko repeated. "We're going to try synching in a minute. Lean back, close your eyes, and clear your head. We need some baseline readings."

Maya looked up. "Everything looks good so far."

"Let's try it."

Misato found herself worrying at her palm with her fingernails. With Rei down, if this didn't work, they'd be in serious trouble. Her breath caught as the screens flickered to life, green lines flowing across the chains of circuits that represented Shinji's synchronization with the Eva. The readings almost reached the absolute borderline, and then shut down, rapidly dialing back to nothing. Ritsuko frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"It's not working," Maya shrugged. "There's nothing there at all. It's like he isn't even in the plug."

"Does this mean he can't pilot?" said Misato.

"Clear everything out, try it again."

So they went on. First, they cleared his data and tried synching in the same plug, and then ended up repeating the process in the other two test units. The end result was a defeated looking Shinji, his shoulders sloping, looking at the floor in the testing chamber, thick orange liquid dripping down his legs. He sighed. Ritsuko flipped the microphone off.

"He can't pilot," she said gravely. "He can't pilot at all."

Misato scratched her chin.

* * *

><p>Shinji still felt confined, even having left the plugsuit in the locker room. The thought that he would never have to wear it again was a small comfort, but it was outweighed by the tension he felt as he left the lockers behind. He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, that he'd have to leave, go back to the little house on the hill with the shed that rested on pilings. Distance didn't matter, of course, but to come so far and never even see his father felt strange. He expected the man to appear at the test, at least, but he was a no-show. He felt stupid, sitting in the big metal tube for hours while they tried over and over, and he felt nothing. A creeping feeling of uselessness fell over him, until he realized it might be for the best. He could do more outside that machine than he could ever do in it.<p>

Misato was waiting for him outside. He unconsciously straightened his hair and glasses, and buttoned up the top of his shirt without quite knowing why. He thought, perhaps, that she might express disappointment or even be angry at him, but she was smiling as sweetly as ever, and he relaxed a little as she limped over to him. He shrunk on himself a bit.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"You tried," said Misato. "It's not your fault they made a mistake. At least you don't have to work the rest of the day."

He sighed. "I guess I have to go home now."

"Well," said Misato, "I was thinking."

He looked up.

She grinned. "I could use an intern."

"A what?"

"You already have security clearances," Misato shrugged. "I pulled some strings. I can't actually pay you, but if you want, you can stay with me and help out around here. Get me coffee, run errands for me, that sort of thing. It'll look good on your resume. Unless you don't want to."

He considered it for a moment. Shinji Ikari, the intern. Staying close to Nerv would alert him in time if there was danger, and the truth was, if he left, he'd be abandoning the strange, pale girl that he'd pulled out of the machine, and he couldn't do that. He couldn't let someone be hurt in his place, maybe be killed, and not do something to help. He couldn't run away.

"Okay," he nodded.

Misato grinned."Let's go up to my office. You can help me out on the paperwork. Your school transfer hasn't gone through yet, so you're mine, at least for today."

Shinji swallowed in mock alarm, and she slapped his back, and pressed the elevator button.

"I should make you come when I ring a little bell."

Shinji eyed her.

"I'm kidding. Geeze."

The doors accordioned open, and he almost stepped into the elevator, but froze. His father stood within. The man said nothing, but pressed his glasses further up his nose. A heavy silence descended, and Misato busily looked elsewhere while Shinji stared at him, and Gendo stared back. He was older than Shinji remembered, to be sure, but the years had been kind to him, his leathery skin barely weathered. His haircut was plain and his beard one of indifference, the moustache shaved away probably because it annoyed him. He wore his black Nerv uniform with a sort of practiced indifference, declaring how little such things meant to him without speaking a word.

The corner of Shinji's mouth curled slightly. "We'll get the next one."

His father blinked in surprise. The doors closed.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki stared up at the face of Unit One. The helmet had been pitched forward, leaving the head itself behind, cracked open and spread apart on a special rack, like an exploded schematic in a technical manual. Unit One wasn't a mass production model, so the thick gray plates of layered metal and composite that would make up her new face had to be carefully fitted with the existing material, meaning they had to be dragged in her, rough cut, measured, fitted, trimmed, and eventually sent back out for the reflective coating. Some part of him wondered exactly who and where made the decision that it would be purple and green. It wasn't the natural color of the reflective coating, so someone chose it. He couldn't see Gendo spending his time and mental effort on something so frivolous.<p>

"Was it you?" he said to the air, at least from the perspective of anyone watching.

There was little he could do here. The creature beneath the armor was swathed in bandages, and though he had the idea he was being watched as he left the cage, he was careful not to glance over his shoulder or betray his suspicion. Gendo passed him in the hall, hands clasped behind his back. Neither man spoke to, or acknowledged, the other. Fuyutsuki gave himself credit for appearing so calm, as a matter of fact. He took the nearest elevator, waiting in it alone until it reached the surface levels, and then walked out into the cavern itself.

The place was like a park, which was both comforting and disturbing at the same time, given in its nature. It was an orderly place, its appearance carefully maintained, with something ancient and terrible hidden within, and the whole order worked within an ancient artifact that humanity didn't understand. In a way, it represented his situation perfectly. There was a lake, but no birds floated on it, and Fuyutsuki resented that. Some deeply hidden sarcasm within him wanted to pantomime at being an old man feeding ducks from a park bench and revel in the absurdity of it, with what lay beneath his feet.

He walked to the lake anyway, taking the winding path. It was cool in the underground air, and it always smelled of freshly turned earth. The sun was warm on his skin, though, and it made an enjoyable contrast, neither too warm nor too hot, compared to the surface which perpetually baked in an endless midsummer. There were children alive today who had lived their entire lives without winter. When the summer finally broke, it would mean the winter of humanity. At least, that was the plan, the Scenario.

When he reached the water, he pulled a folded printout from his coat pocket and looked at it. He saw the blurry image of Yui's son rising from the earth like a mythical figure ascending to join the gods, one leg drawn up, one hand reaching towards the heavens. Carefully, he tore it into pieces, then scattered them. They lay across the still waters of the artificial lake until they became heavy enough with moisture to sink. He then pulled the second object from his pocket.

He held his battered old service pistol in his hands and thought of all the times he'd contemplated the muzzle, and whether to open his mouth and swallow oblivion. That thought crossed his mind a final time, when he realized that if his hopes were fulfilled, he truly never would see her again. The way his life had narrowed the divine down from a grand gesture of imagination to a cold science weighed heavily on him, and made the yawning void at the end of the gun all the more attractive. He was an educated man, and he enjoyed poetry. Never, even in private moments, had he fancied himself a poet, but he couldn't help but indulge himself over this. He was the man who pioneered metaphysical biology. It was he who had slain wonder and put the gods in jars for men to play with. He looked at the gun, and wondered if the man who invented it ever felt the same way.

He looked up at the false sky on which the last fortress of mankind rested, a city in the clouds. He rolled his arm back, tensed up, and threw the gun with all his might. It went not so far as to be impressive, but thunked into the waters with finality, and having disappeared, left only still waters in its wake.

He looked up, and he believed a man could fly.

* * *

><p>You have been reading<p>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter Two: Powers and Abilities_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Shinji stared up at Tokyo-3 High School with a certain apprehension. He had braved far greater challenges already, but there was a certain natural terror about filing in with the flow of students currently making their way into the building's gaping maw. The intent behind the architecture was probably a sense of serene orderliness, but to Shinji it looked less like some sort of public structure and more like an arcane temple to the slick, rounded, white-finished modern world. It fit in with Tokyo-3 but was alien to him, and made him feel a little lost. He quickly realized he was the only male student actually wearing his jacket, unbuttoned it, and threw it over his shoulder to fit in. He'd never seen so many people his own age gathered together at once. There were more students here than there were people that lived in the little town where he went to school.<p>

He meandered into the crowd walking into the building and did his best to move with them, holding the folder Misato gave him in one hand, his other clasping his jacket. He earned himself a few stares bumbling along the hallway, glancing at the folder and at the signs on the wall in a feeble attempt to find the right room. Eventually he stopped, sighed, and squinted. The walls around him turned transparent, and he quickly found the room he was looking for and made a quick bee-line for it, a spring in his step and a quiet little smile on his face. Using his abilities frivolously didn't sit well with him, but he had to allow himself a little convenience now and then.

When he found the room, he was surprised by how few students there actually were. The room looked like it was designed for twice the capacity, with about four empty rows spread out through the room. There were a few knots of female students seated closer to the front, and a few groupings of male students towards the back, mostly chatting with each other in smaller clusters or pairs. A tall boy in a tracksuit was seated next to a shorter, slighter youth in glasses, picking away at a laptop. The older boy stared at him for a moment, tilting his head. Shinji paled and looked at the floor. He remember dropping the little girl off in the boy's arms not two days ago.

"Umm, hello?"

He started, and was confronted by a thin girl of middle height, smiling warmly. She had freckles, and tied her short brown hair at the back of her neck. She clutched a clipboard to her body with a sense of authority that lived larger than her spare frame, and Shinji blushed at her sudden attention. "Uh, I'm a transfer. I'm looking for…"

"The class representative?"

He was going to say "Class 2-A," but that would do. He nodded vigorously.

Eying him, she took the folder, checked it, and closed it again. "I'm the Class Rep. Hikari Horaki. Yes, this is your class. Where's your laptop?"

"I have a laptop?"

She rolled her eyes a little, but there was no heat in her voice. "Yes. You'll pick it up at the front office, when you sign in. I'm assuming…"

He shrugged and shook his head.

"Right," she handed the folder back. "Take this up there, sign in, get your computer, come back. Hurry, we don't have much time before the teacher arrives."

He nodded, took the folder, and headed into the hall. The spaces were mostly empty now, and when no one was watching, he double timed it, moving just a little bit too fast. The wizened woman at the front office who gave him his computer and took his file looked at him as if she expected him to be out of breath, and he pantomimed being winded to satisfy her. He thanked he quietly, adjusted his glasses, and raced back to the class, laptop under his arm. He was just in time to slip into a random seat towards the rear of the room. He opened the laptop and began booting it.

"I'm tellin ya," he heard the boy in the tracksuit tell a small cluster of students, "I ain't crazy. I saw it! I wasn't the only one there!"

Shinji perked up.

"Then how come it wasn't on the news?"

"Maybe it's a blackout," said his bespectacled companion. "A conspiracy! They're keeping it a secret."

"Maybe you're just nuts," one of the other students shrugged.

Shinji slowly looked around. The boy in the tracksuit fixed on him.

"What?"

"Nothing" said Shinji, shrinking on himself.

"Stand! Bow! Sit!"

Stunned by the sheer volume of her voice, he nearly dumped his new computer on the floor in the process of leaping to his feet. By the time the wizened old teacher had made his way to the lectern, the computer had booted, and Shinji opened the note-taking program. He sat with his fingers poised over the keys, glasses perched on his nose to get them out of the way so he could actually see, and waited, and waited. The old man adjusted his glasses, took a sip of water from a small bottle, and looked around the room. He gradually made his way back to the board and wrote "Second Impact", and then underlined it. Shinji blinked and looked down at his schedule. Wasn't this supposed to be math class?

"When the waves hit, I was…"

Shinji stared with a quirked eyebrow as the teacher began a long, rambling speech about his time as a draftee in the post-Impact wars, telling the story of the nuclear attack on Tokyo three times in the first hour. Shinji glanced nervously to his left and right, wondering if he was being hazed. Instead, he saw the students around him furiously typing, and when he saw the screens, he realized they were in a chat room. He began poking around at the computer, looking at the various programs, until he found the chat client. It took a moment to log him into the server, and asked him for a login name, so he put Ikari S.

The conversation went on at a furious pace. He had the impression that people were messaging each other privately, as well, because there were only a few students actually sending public messages, even though everyone was typing. Someone named Toji was ranting about the reality of the 'Flying Man', and from a quick glance over his shoulder, he saw it was the boy in the track suit; a new message appeared every time he hit the enter key. Shinji's mouth went a little dry. He hadn't counted on running into someone who saw him. He slouched a little, drew his shoulders in, and watched the chat window with his chin propped on one hand. There was no point in devoting much mental effort to listening to the teacher. He would remember anything that was actually important perfectly anyway, the taking of notes on his part for appearance's sake. He was glad to have the computer. Sitting there with a pad and pen would have been excruciating.

The morning ground on, and he found himself unimpressed by the state of education in Tokyo-3. After a meandering, rambling lecture about Second Impact… or… something, the alleged math teacher trundled out of the room and was replaced by an English teacher who muddled through the lesson, pausing for a gangly American to pronounce the word for him. Shinji, having already mastered the language, was bored out of his mind. He found himself staring out the window, past an empty desk. There was a tree, and it was gloriously alive. He watched ants pick their way along the tree-trunk, their tiny exoskeletal bodies glowing brilliantly in the ultraviolet range. He could see the subtle changes in pressure on the surface as the tree carried moisture from the Earth to its leaves, and saw the heat bloom before a tiny bird took to wing from the upper reaches.

Eventually, they were dismissed for gym class, and he panicked for a moment, before he realized he could simply follow the other boys to the locker room. He fell in behind them, glancing around the halls as he walked. Once there, he found a locker, hung up his clothes, and changed into a t-shirt and shorts. Nervously, he wandered out onto the tarmac, assaulted by the sound of a bouncing basketball and dozens of conversations, the florid stink of the chlorine in the nearby pool where the girls were swimming, up a low rise covered in grass. A girl he didn't know gave him a little wave through the chain-link fence and he returned it awkwardly, and had a decision to make.

A basketball was speeding for his head. He had options. He could catch it. He could backhand it so hard it would explode. He could simply lean back and count the dimples on its rubbery surface as it flew by, and if he wanted to show off, catch it one handed and spin it on his finger. He chose to do none of those things, instead turning to meet it. He put out his hands and let it scrape against his palms, making a tiny sound of rubber on skin. It skimmed through his grip and hit him square on the nose, and for anyone else would have perhaps knocked him flat on his rear end. In his case, he had to supply the momentum himself, and manage to quite naturalistically fall on his backside with a grunt. He adjusted his glasses and sighed in mock annoyance, rubbing at his forehead. When he pulled his hand away, there was another hand in front of his face, belonging to the boy in the tracksuit, who hadn't changed his clothes. His bespectacled friend stood beside him.

Shinji took the offered hand and stood up shakily, brushing at himself for no real reason.

"Hi," said the boy, "I'm Toji."

"I'm Kensuke."

"Shinji," said Shinji. "Did they do that on purpose?"

Toji shrugged. "You have to watch these guys. They're rough on transfers."

* * *

><p>One Kozo Fuyutsuki's many roles at Nerv was to stand two steps behind and to the right of the Commander when he performed his duties, ready to sweep in and take command if necessary. In other words, he occupied a mostly ceremonial post designed to keep him where they could see him, since he had both the knowledge of their conspiracy and the knowledge of the means by which they executed it to be a threat. It was either cooperate or die, murder the world or die knowing it would happen anyway. He cursed himself for taking the easier path, or at least he used to. He smiled inwardly, but kept his face a frozen mask, an actor as capable as his seated protégé and drawing on decades of experience. The margin by which the world of secret societies was more tedious than the world of academic politics was a razor thin one.<p>

He had a difficult time maintaining his composure today. There was a certain surreal absurdity to his very situation, standing beside the leader of a secret paramilitary organization in a secret underground base, using a holographic display to communicate with a group of men who hide themselves behind featureless monoliths like something out of a science fiction movie. He had the identify of one of them nailed down, if only because the man routinely disregarded the secrecy the others favored and revealed his face. His name was Keel, he was a German with three doctorates, and he was dressing down Gendo at this very moment. Fuyutsuki didn't know who to root for.

"This situation is untenable, Ikari."

"I agree. The Second should be transferred to my command immediately."

If he could see them, Fuyutsuki had no doubt the members of the Human Instrumentality committee would be rocking back in their seats at Gendo's brazenness. He made no movement, still sitting with his folded hands obscuring his face in his curious way, staring pointedly at nothing. Fuyutsuki straightened himself and waited.

"Unit Two is not ready to move, and will not be leaving Berlin for another month."

"I am aware of that. I meant the Second Child, not the Evangelion."

"You believe she will be able to pilot Unit One?"

"It is better than nothing. Attempting to use the First again will kill her, and an untrained pilot…"

With a voice so thick with sarcasm Fuyutsuki could practically hear his sneer, another member cut him off. "As I recall, your candidate had no prior training."

Gendo remained unruffled. "His situation was unique. You all know what the Scenario calls for. A candidate who both meets the requirement and is trainable is rare at best. The Second Child's unique circumstances alone permitted her training."

"True," said Keel. "Very well. The defeat of the angels is our top priority, of course. The arrangements will be made, and the Second will be transferred ahead of schedule, by air. I leave the arrangement of the flight details to your staff."

Gendo said nothing, and the tense contest of who would be the one to break the silence began. It lasted only a few, brief moments.

"There is another matter," said Keel.

Gendo tensed. "Which is?"

Another Committee member cut in, a different one, with a deep voice. "There have been disturbing reports of an… anomaly. We have word that it was not, in fact, Unit One that destroyed the Third Angel."

Gendo remained silent for a moment, and Fuyutsuki let his gaze drift to him as he wondered how he planned to play this. The game of silence began again, and it was Gendo's turn to make the first move this time.

"There was outside interference during the battle. An interloper of unknown capabilities attacked the angel and did superficial damage to Unit One."

"An interloper? Damaged Unit One?"

"We believe he was engaging in a misguided attempt to rescue the pilot."

"Were you attempting to conceal this information from us?"

"I did not think it significant."

There was a low rasping sound, probably Keel snorting into his microphone. "That is not your decision. You will ensure that the Committee is fully briefed on any further encounters with this _interloper._"

Gendo smirked. "Rest assured, if there is a threat to the Scenario, I will eliminate it."

The monoliths winked out, one by one, until only Keel's remained. "See that you do, or we may see you as a threat and take action of our own."

Keel's monolith vanished, and the system deactivated, the featureless black expanse replaced by a surprisingly small room with gray walls, studded with holographic emitters. The only piece of furniture was a desk that was virtually identical to the one in Gendo's office, which struck Fuyutsuki as a little silly. He presume that Gendo appeared to the others as a monolith of his own, his theatrics unseen, but then, you never knew, which was sort of the point. It was entirely likely that Keel saw them all undisguised, and maybe others as well. Gendo leaned back in his chair and took on a sort of rebellious slouch, pausing to consider the surface of his desk.

"At least they didn't pester us over the budget," said Fuyutsuki.

"Indeed," said Gendo. "Nevertheless, it was too easy. See that the arrangements are made for the Second's transfer."

"Of course," said Fuyutsuki. "Where should I billet her?"

"There is available space either in the barracks or on the surface. Until the First is ready to pilot again, her security is a priority. Keep her where she will be most secure."

Fuyutsuki nodded and walked out of the room, conscious of Gendo's desire that no one see him leave a room. He stepped outside, ensured the hallway outside the holographic conference room was clear, and headed towards his office, thinking of how best to ensure the Second Child's safety and security while she lived in Tokyo-3. Some would have, perhaps, doubted the idea that next crossed his mind. Then again, they would have lacked vital information he possessed. Once he was out of the elevator, he made his way to his office, sat down in his creaky old chair, and cradled the handset of his old fashioned telephone between his chin and his shoulder while he fished around for the card bearing Misato Katsuragi's office number.

* * *

><p>Misato awkwardly made her way down the hall, cursing the mad architect who had designed the layout of the base specifically to torment her. She had to choice but to press on, clenching her fists at her side from each wincing step. They said her ankle would be fine in a few days, but it was still bothering her, and having to actually walk to the station and ride a train to work only made it worse. Some jerk on the train had tried to grope her, only to pull back and melt away into the crowd after brushing against her shoulder holster. Now, she was lost on the way to her own damn office. The layout didn't help. There were hairpin turns, corridors that split and came together on themselves again, and the whole place was laid out in a giant hexagon for some reason. It felt like it took her an hour to find the right level and make her way into her office, and she could only tell it from the others by her nameplate on the door. That, and the incredible mountain of paperwork resting on the desk inside.<p>

Having just come to the Japan branch the week before, she hadn't had time to turn her office into a cozy little den. There was a green metal desk that looked like it belonged in an elementary school, an uncomfortable straight-backed metal chair that squeaked when she pulled it across the floor to sit down, and an empty filing cabinet with a lamp on top. She sat down on the uncomfortably rigid chair and considered the pile for a moment, stacked so high that she had to crane her neck to look over it. The first item on the stack was a bound review of the damage to Unit One.

It took her an hour to flip through the report, noting every detail. It was a miracle that Rei survived. No one had told her that the entry plug had been extracted _during_ the battle, and there was damage to the armor at the back of Unit One's neck. She stood up, wincing on her wounded ankle, and walked out of her office, still holding the report in one hand. She had enough of a handle on the architecture to make it to Ritsuko's office without really getting lost, just feeling that way. She poked her head through the door and saw her old friend curled up over a microscope, fiddling with the dials on the side.

"Ahem."

Ritsuko jumped, and touched a hand to her chest.

"Don't scare me like that."

Misato blinked, and walked into the room. "Sorry."

The lab was a dense collection of junk. There was a collection of paperwork that made Misato's load of papers seem miniscule by comparison, as well as scientific bitsy-whatsits and computer parts and what may have been part of an Evangelion finger joint lying on the floor by the door. The air stank of cigarette smoke, and the dying whisper of one was curled in the air over an ashtray that had long ago given up trying to contain the ash and lipstick-stained cigarette butts that spilled over the edges. Ritsuko looked like she hadn't slept yet.

"You okay?" said Misato.

"Fine, fine," Ritsuko said, hurriedly. "What is it?"

"I was looking over the damage report…"

"Close the door."

Misato blinked, and hobbled to the door, then hit the switch and watched it slide closed. She headed over to where Ritsuko sat and plopped down on the chair next to her, relieved at taking the weight off her aching foot. She resisted the urge to sigh in relief and dropped the report on the stack. Ritsuko looked at her wearily for a moment, and began typing at something.

"Well?"

Ritsuko pulled her glasses off, which made her look a little younger, and tossed them on the desk with a clatter. "No one told you, huh?"

"Told me what?"

"About the flying man."

Misato blinked. "Is this a joke? A hazing thing? It's not funny."

Ritsuko turned the monitor of her computer, inclining her head towards it. Misato watched a grainy, jerky video, and recognized it as the camera from one of the Humvees, like the cameras police cars use. She watched the silent recording and her mouth slowly dropped open. What she thought she was seeing was only confirmed at the end. The figure standing next to Rei, seated in the seat from the entry plug, was moving slightly, as in a soft breeze. When Misato saw a chunk of asphalt kick up next to his feet, she realized why; they were shooting him. They were shooting him, and the bullets were bouncing off his chest like pebbles thrown against a wall. With a sort of casual ease, he threw his hand out and closed his fist around something, looked at it, and dropped the bullet he'd caught in his hand to the ground. He hadn't even realized they were shooting him until he saw the bullet.

"What… what the _hell?"_

"There's where you're damage came from," Ritsuko shrugged. "Keep watching."

The figure reacted, probably from being spoken to, took a step back, and looked around. He considered the ring of Section 2 men forming around him, and flew away. It took Misato a moment to process what she'd just seen, her mind reeling, trying to see the string or the camera cut or something to explain how the man in the cape just rose up into the sky without apparent means. She stared dumbly at the floor after the video ended, unable to bridge the connection between mind and mouth.

"After he killed the angel…"

"_What?_"

Ritsuko sighed wearily. "After he killed the angel, he pulled Unit One open, pulled the entry plug out and ripped it open with his bare hands to get Rei out. He beat the angel to death with his bare hands. I don't know."

Misato stared.

"I don't understand this," Ritsuko went on, her voice cracking a little. "It makes no _sense_. It's impossible. Only an Eva can penetrate an AT-Field. Only an Eva."

Misato nodded. "I'm not big on the technical details, but-"

"That implies that this… person, or something that looks like a person, can generate an AT-Field of his own, or…"

"Or?"

"Or he's generating massive amounts of energy. He beat the angel to death with his hands, Misato. He killed it by _punching it._"

Misato glanced at the pile of cigarette butts and the cup of coffee on the desk, so cold she could tell it just by looking. She put her hand on Ritsuko's shoulder.

"What does this mean?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "I don't know. If this… _thing_ turns out to be dangerous, we might not be able to stop it. It looks just like us. What if it's an angel? It could just walk in here and we'd have no way of stopping it."

Misato folded her hands in her lap. "Maybe we could try, I don't know, talking to him?"

Ritsuko laughed bitterly. "I don't think he's in the phone book. Besides, the official policy on this is that it never happened. Unit One took extensive damage, but defeated the angel singlehandedly. I know, the bridge crew knows, the recovery crews saw him… it's going to get out, and there will be a panic."

Misato nodded. "Has anyone seen him since?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "No. I hate this. I can't stand not knowing. It doesn't fit."

Misato's phone rang. She rolled her eyes, but inwardly sighed in relief at the building tension in the little room. She fished the chirping device out of her pocket and checked the caller I.D. It was the sub-commander. Scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, Misato put the phone to her ear.

"Captain?"

"Yes?"

"Ah, good. You were the Second Child's guardian for a time, were you not?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Good. She will be transferring in early. I've assigned her to live with you."

Misato's eyes widened a little. "Uh. What?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Well, I kind of already have… "

"As I recall, your apartment has three bedrooms, Captain. I am aware of your arrangement with Ikari's boy. Her safety is a priority. You will make due."

"But sir," she said, her voice tightening. "I have a great deal of responsibility, and…"

"You have retained the services of an intern to relieve yourself of some of it. She's a teenage girl, not a puppy. You'll handle it."

She sighed in resignation. "Yes, sir."

"Very good, then."

The old man hung up, and she shoved her phone in her pocket and blew out a sigh that was almost a growl.

"I know what to do if your flying man gets out of line," said Misato, leaning on her hand.

Ritsuko blinked.

"We'll sick Asuka on him."

* * *

><p>The LCL drained with a hiss, and the colder air rushed in over her skin. Her hair suddenly became heavy and plastered itself against her head and neck and the back of her plugsuit, and the sudden sensation of her own weight came back to her. She rested for a moment, holding in the thick heavy breath of liquid in her lungs, and then with a practiced motion, turned to her side, curled a bit, and hacked it all out at once into the pool of the stuff around the base of her seat, and then with an equally practiced motion turned away before she saw the swirl of saliva and mucous mingled with it. She rested her head against the seat behind her and waited patiently as the technician opened the hatch, and then climbed out.<p>

Asuka ran her fingers through her hair to force some of the foul smelling fluid out of it and pull it away from her neck and free it from sticking to her suit, so that it didn't pull against her scalp as she moved. She had tried, for a while, wearing it shorter, but had come to see the lustrous red sheen of her locks as too rich an asset to waste for mere convenience, and now wore it nearly to her waist. She'd also long ago declined wearing a robe after exiting the plug, and simply walked through the cage where Unit Two loomed over her in her suit, all but daring the technicians to ogle her. There were two kinds: the new ones, and the ones who knew better, who found it in their interest to correct the former before they got themselves in trouble. She derived a certain satisfaction from walking through the crowd of orange-suited men, who lowered their eyes to the floor in the way peasants showed deference to monarchs of old.

One of the techs, still staring at the floor, brought her the harmonics report on a data slate. She'd long ago begun reviewing the materials herself, after she finished her degree. She was pleased to see she'd raised her synch ratio to forty-nine percent, placing her far ahead of the elusive First Child, who had been training for a paltry six years to Asuka's eight, although she had been identified earlier. She flicked through the charts, noting that each was as she expected. All was right in the world. She blinked as she realized there was a third set of data, a Third Child. She stopped on the gantry and glanced over her shoulder, up at Unit Two. The crimson titan loomed over the vast space, dominating it utterly, four green eyes like an insect taking in everything that passed before it.

The new guy wasn't fast enough. Asuka traced the invisible line from the part of her suit that bunched over her buttocks to his eyes, and consumed the look on his face when she realized he'd been caught with a certain predatory satisfaction, yet kept her face a mask. The man looked her in the eye, working his tongue across his lips not in excitement but in apprehension, beads of sweat appearing on his face. She let the hand holding the data slate fall to her side, and narrowed her gaze.

"You."

The technician swallowed, hard, his Adam's apple dancing against the collar of his coveralls.

"Get over here."

Sheepishly, he walked over to her. The sound of the slap was like a gunshot in the huge emptiness of the Eva cage, rolling over the walls and back on itself to become an echo. The technician's white hard hat hit the floor with a hollow thump and a tiny scraping sound as it spun around itself. His face flashed from disbelief to red-faced anger to resignation as he went white, leaving the fresh five-fingered bruise emblazoned on his cheek.

Asuka lifted her chin. "Consider that the viewing fee. The next look will cost your job."

The man nodded in silence, retrieved his hat, and slithered away, carefully looking at the floor, the only place where he might reasonably expect never to find Asuka in his vision. She smiled secretly to herself as she turned back to the data file. She opened it, and went over the data in confusion, tapping her finger to her chin before switching between screens. The Third Child's profile was normal, until he neared synchronization; then, it went wild, as if he were having a seizure and a heart attack and a rather furious bout of indigestion all at once. It was as if the Evangelion touched his mind and his mind simply refused to touch it back. Once he neared the absolutely borderline, all of his ratios veered back to the baseline and then plunged under it, like an airplane rising up to the very limit of its flight ceiling and then diving back down. The end result was a void in the plug, as if the system had been started with no one inside.

She handed the slate off as she headed into the locker room. She showered in the suit first; it was impermeable, and she liked to keep the LCL off of her skin for the most part. It was a meaningless personal preference; the stuff had mild medicinal qualities, and actually made her hair and the skin of her face thicker and more lustrous and softer and smoother, respectively. She once suffered a small cut on her cheek in training, only for it to be completely healed after a lengthy synchronization test. Only once she had her hair completely clear did she remove the suit and toss it away to be retrieved and disposed of after she left. Despite its positive effects, she loathed the smell and worked hard to eliminate it, scrubbing it away first and replacing it with light, fruity scents from soaps and shampoos and finally, after she toweled off and changed into her dress, a whiff of a lavender perfume. She'd essentially stolen it, having purchased the same brand as former guardian, the Katsuragi woman.

She mused over the meaning of a failed selection by the Marduk Institute as she made her way back to her quarters. It was a long walk through the halls of the Berlin facility, and she found herself staring at her feet, habitually counting the steps. When she found the door to her rooms, she opened it by scanning her palm-print on the panel next to the door and stepped inside. Immediately, she saw that her apartment was out of order.

It was spacious, designed for three people, and filled with her things. She kept a small office where she did the bulk of the work for her university courses, filling out tests and poring over notes taken for her by agents of Nerv, or transcribing the recordings she made herself when she occasionally attended the lectures under guard. The other bedroom was reserved for her extensive wardrobe. When she walked into the foyer of her apartment, there was a box covered in DSL shipping stickers, standing half open. Some low level Nerv technician in the brown uniform they all wore outside the cage walked into the foyer with an armful of clothes, looked at her in terror, and then scurried away, having deposited her load into the box. Asuka walked past it, and sniffed the smell of an unlit cigarette and distinctive cologne.

Asuka moved at lightning speed to throw her arms around Kaji, but he deftly arrested her movement by thrusting out a manila envelope that made her skid to a stop on the carpeting. She blinked and accepted it from him, her eyes drifting from the envelope to the man who'd handed it to her, the wiry, suave man with the artful little bit of stubble and the smile that stood out from everything else. He cleared his throat and nodded at the envelope and she opened it.

There were two items inside. A letter, and a plane ticket. She looked at the ticket, then looked at the letter, her eyes glazing over a bit as she comprehended what she read.

"This is ridiculous," she snapped.

Kaji rolled his shoulders and shrugged heavily, his smile becoming a smirk. "It had to happen sooner or later."

"Why am I going to Tokyo? What for? My Eva is here. They said it won't be moved for a month!"

"That's true," said Kaji. "From what I hear, you'll be piloting Unit One."

She blinked, turned around, and tossed the letter on a side table, still holding the ticket. "They want me to pilot that hunk of junk? What happened to the First?"

Kaji looked at her gravely. "She's half dead, from what I hear. The accident with Unit Zero, and then the battle with the Third Angel in Unit One almost did her in."

Asuka tapped the ticket on her palm. "This is absurd. Why can't they… "

It clicked. The Third Child was a washout, and they lacked the will, or time, or resources to train someone else to pilot that ridiculous monstrosity until she arrived to solve the problem. She found herself gritting her teeth.

"I can't believe this."

"I'm fairly sure this is a government operation," Kaji smirked.

Asuka snickered and shot him a longing look. "You're coming with me, right?"

"No," he moved from the wall and took the cigarette out of his mouth. "I have some business at the Munich facility, and then I'll be joining Unit Two for the overland leg of the trip when they do move it. You'll have a full security detail, though."

Asuka stared at him and tried, hard, not to tremble.

"I see. So, this is goodbye then."

"Only for a few weeks," he shrugged, picking up an old mug from one of the boxes and turning it in his fingers. "I may be able to visit Tokyo for a while. Hell, I might end up reassigned there."

"That would be exquisite," said Asuka. "Maybe we could finally move in together."

Kaji snorted. "You didn't read the whole thing."

Asuka frowned.

"You're rooming with Katsuragi."

Her shoulders sank when she heard the subtle way his voice changed when he said her name. She looked at her feet, then back up at him, brightening.

"Oh. Well then, you'll join me for dinner tonight, right? One more time, before I go. Maybe we could see a movie, and…"

He shook his head and walked over to her. "You know we can't do that. The little sleepovers were cute when you were ten, but you're almost an adult, now, Asuka." He leaned in a lowered his voice. "Look, I don't want to embarrass you. We talked about this. It's not going to happen."

He stood up, ruffled her hair like a child, like a damn _child_, and walked out of the apartment, leaving her standing there, holding a plane ticket in the boxed detritus of her life. She stood there, fuming for a while, and then started towards her bedroom, to prevent the perverts packing her things –without permission!—from stealing her underwear or something. To her relief, they were all female. She barked orders and pointed, but her heart wasn't really in it.

If only the pilot of Unit One hadn't been a total failure. This was all his fault.

* * *

><p>Rei's eyes opened slowly, and her eyelids fluttered for a moment before she was greeted by the sight of her own hair, drifting lazily through clouded link control liquid. The liquid began draining, and her feet touched the cold metal floor of the tank. She was in a round glass tube, which was once filled with the now rapidly draining liquid. She leaned on the glass, and it made small squeaking sounds against her bare flesh. It took her a moment to stand, shakily, and she began to shiver from the cold. The tube ground downwards, and the air became colder still. She nearly fell stepping down from the tube, and bumped into someone.<p>

Commander Ikari wrapped her in a blanket, a flat look of profound indifference on his face. He nodded at someone, at Akagi, and they led her to a gurney where she sat down. There was a hospital gown there, and a peculiar device, a cleverly hinged arm cast; beside it were a medical eye patch and a coiled spool of gauze bandages. Rei sat swaddled in the blanket, breathing shallowly and blinking. She had a vague recollection of being in Unit Zero, and did not understand how she came to be here. When she thought on it, her eyebrows pressed together, and she felt a series of vague sensations and saw flat, disconnected images, as though the information she recalled had happened to someone else.

She looked up, and the Commander met her gaze. She did the best to quell her shivering, and ignore the rest of the room. The Others loomed behind him, moving gently in the slow currents of the LCL tank, spare parts for a broken machine. Otherwise, there was darkness. Akagi backed away slowly, averting her gaze from Rei. The Commander cleared his throat, and Rei straightened.

"How did I come to be here?"

"Irrelevant. You will wear the bandages and the cast."

"I do not understand. I am unin-"

"You do not question me."

She nodded absently and sat up, the expression draining from her face. "I will wear the bandages and the cast."

"Good. You will remain in the infirmary for two weeks. If anyone approaches you other than Akagi and myself, you will feign injury. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

The Commander turned and nodded. "Deal with her."

He walked out of the room without further comment, the click-clack of his heels echoing in the darkness. Akagi walked over to her, an unlit cigarette in her mouth, and looked her up and down. The woman seemed lost in thought for a moment before shaking herself free of it. She held Rei's arms while she shakily stood up and helped her tie the hospital gown around herself, and silently worked the cleverly hidden hinges on the false cast, so Rei could see how it was done if she needed to do it herself. She slid her arm into a sling, and carefully wrapped the bandages around her head, and put the eye patch in place.

"This is how you will wear the bandages."

"I understand," said Rei.

"Do you?" said Akagi.

Rei blinked, but said nothing. She turned on the bed and lay down on it, and Akagi pulled the blankets over her. The woman grunted as she pushed the gurney to get it moving, and walked behind it as she guided it to the elevator. It was a long ride in the elevator to the infirmary, and neither spoke. Rei could smell the smell of Akagi's cigarette though it was unlit and wondered why anyone would want to taste something that smelled that way. As she stared up at the ceiling of the elevator, images drifted through her mind, distant and opaque. She had the faintest memory of something, the distant impression of a crooked emblem, like an English 'S', and a strong voice speaking quiet words she couldn't hear, posing a question to which she had no answer.

Once they were in the upper reaches of the facility, a doctor joined Akagi and pushed the bed along, and Rei ignored their conversation, mostly about her care. The doctor frowned several times and glanced at her, and then quickly averted his eyes, deferring to Akagi. At length, the bed was pushed into an empty room where light spilled in from outside, imparting a soft glow to the featureless expanse of white and brushed stainless steel. They left her there to stare up at the blank ceiling, and there she lay. She heard the sound of people speaking softly, and felt a presence just outside the room. She turned, and saw Akagi arguing with the Operations Director, Katsuragi. There was someone with them, just outside the door.

The boy looked at the two women, and then gently made his way over to her. He looked oddly familiar, but she was unable to place him, and frowned slightly. He had a mop of black hair and some of the Commander in his face, but only very slightly, the merest hint visible only to an expert eye. He was wearing the school uniform and a pair of glasses, and was looking around nervously. In his hand he held a vase, in which there was a small clutch of flowers. He paced over to the bed and looked down at her.

"Uh," he said, "Hi?"

Rei met him with silence, but tilted her head slightly. The familiarity of his appearance was beginning to tug at her mind.

The boy swallowed. "Um," he said, "I brought you some flowers. I'll just put these down."

She watched him, tracing his movement with her uncovered eye, as he walked over to the bare bedside table and rested the flowers there. Their pink and purple hues felt out of place in the rest of the room, and made it seem even more washed out by comparison. The scent of the plants made her sniff at the air a little, and did not mingle with the antiseptic smell of the hospital, but seemed to slide along on top of it.

"So, uh, you're Rei?"

"Yes."

His eyes flicked down the length of her body, and for a moment, his irises seemed an even more intense blue than they had been before, catching the light so strongly they all but glowed. He met her gaze again and frowned, but quickly reverted to a forced smile.

"I'm Shinji. It was nice to meet you. I, ah, I hope you feel better."

"Come on, Casanova," Katusragi called. "Visiting hours are over."

Slumping a little, the boy –Shinji—left the room, scuffing his feet against the floor just a bit. Rei watched the three silhouettes disappear from the light in the hallway. She found herself staring at the flowers again, studying the strange textures and contours of the petals, the way the color drank the light and carried it over the surface. She lost track of how much time passed before the Commander entered, hands clasped behind his back.

He studied Rei for a moment, and looked at the flowers.

"What are those?"

"A boy brought them to me."

The look on the Commander's face was decidedly unusual, one she had not seen before. His voice had an unusual tightness to it, as if he were forcing the words out through his teeth.

"What boy?"

"He called himself Shinji."

"I see," said the Commander.

He walked to the edge of the room and found the wastebasket, and then nudged it over to the side of the bedside table with his foot. Then, he picked up the vase and half-dropped, half-threw it in, imparting enough force that the glass shattered and there was a small splash as the water inside lapped up against the sides of the container. Rei blinked.

"You will have no further contact with him. If he makes any overtures towards you, you will not indulge them. Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Rei.

"You will remain here until this ruse is ended, and I give you further instructions."

Rei nodded and turned back to contemplating the ceiling as he walked out, and tried to remember. She thought she was the third.

* * *

><p>Shinji knew three things about Rei Ayanami. One, he knew her name, and that counted as something. Two, he knew she was beautiful, despite her strange appearance. Her skin, so pale he could see her veins under it, and her red irises both suggested an albino, but her hair was actually blue- it wasn't some sort of effect from the fluid she'd been immersed in when she was piloting, her hair was actually blue, a strange silvery sky blue. Despite all that, she seemed oddly familiar, as if he'd seen her before. He certainly didn't remember any blue haired girls, but the feeling was there all the same. Three, the last time he'd seen her, she'd been near death, with broken bones and serious internal injuries, and now she was fine- and someone was hiding that fact. The cast she wore was fake; it had hinges so she could pop it on and off, and though she held her eye closed under the medical patch she wore, her eye itself was fine. He frowned as he walked beside Misato, whose gaze flickered over to him and then back to the corridor ahead.<p>

"She'll be okay," Misato said reassuringly, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry about the Casanova thing, that was kind of out of line."

"Its okay," he shrugged, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

He looked around at the bare walls, as if they'd provide him with an excuse. When they didn't, he made up one on his own. "I just feel like it was my fault she got hurt, is all."

Misato arched an eyebrow. "It really isn't. She got banged up pretty bad in an activation test. I wasn't here, so I didn't see what happened, but they had to drag her out of the infirmary to pilot."

Shinji nodded, feigning understanding. Instead, this new information only raised more questions. If she was bedridden for weeks before the angel attacked, how did she heal almost overnight? Was she always able to do that, and the organization hid it? Misato was pretty high up; why didn't she know?

"Hey!" said Misato, elbowing him. "Aren't you listening?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Heh," Misato smirked, "You must be smitten. I said you're losing you're room."

He pretended to almost trip over his own feet, twisting a little to keep his balance. "You're kicking me out?"

"No," said Misato, suppressing a grin. "We're getting a new roommate, and she's going to want the bigger room."

"Oh," said Shinji. "Wait, why?"

"Well," said Misato, "With Rei in here and with no one else to pilot Eva, we're bringing in the Second Child. She's supposed to pilot Unit Two but she'll fill in for you as pilot of Unit One until we can move her Eva here from Germany."

Shinji nodded. "Oh. So she'll stay with us?"

Misato nodded. "She's a real firecracker."

"Firecracker?"

"She can be a little… moody."

Shinji considered what Misato, who had already redefined "a little" in the context of beer and food, might consider "a little moody". Misato turned slowly around as she entered the elevator that would carry her towards her office and leaned on the railing set into the wall to take the weight off her leg, and sighed. Shinji put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the far wall, and slowly breathed out.

"So when does she get here?"

Misato rolled her eyes a little and pursed her lips in thought. "Ah, she's leaving Germany in… four hours? One or two stops, so tomorrow afternoon. They're supposed to email me the flight details."

Shinji nodded. "I guess I should go move my stuff, then."

Misato narrowed her eyes. "Oh no you don't. You're my intern, and you are getting me some coffee."

"I wasn't-" Shinji began to protest.

Misato rolled her eyes and sighed theatrically. "Will you relax? I'm kidding. You're always so serious all the time."

As she hobbled out of the elevator, he headed off to procure the coffee in question. He had to feign confusion in the halls a bit, which wasn't so hard, as the layout genuinely confused him. The place really was built like a maze. Of course, it meant little to him. All he had to do was listen for the characteristic sounds of conversation and cups being drained and staff bustling about, and follow it to the cafeteria. When he arrived, he quickly scooped up a paper cup and headed for the coffee machine. He flinched when someone bumped into him.

"Oh! Sorry!" he blurted.

"Hey, you're the kid!"

He was confronted by three young people. The one who'd actually bumped into him was a slight young girl who looked out of place in her khaki uniform, a look of perpetual wide-eyed surprise on her face. She was accompanied by a tall, thin man with a pair of glasses and a magazine tucked under his arm, and a long-haired man with thin, spare features and an almost-sneer that turned into a smirk at the girl's gaffe.

"I am?" said Shinji.

"Yeah," said the long-haired man. "What are you doing here, anyway? They let random kids wander around now?"

The girl leaned forward and squinted at the identification badge clipped to Shinji's shirt pocket. "Intern?"

"He's a gopher."

"I work for Miss Misato… err, Captain Katsuragi," Shinji clarified, looking down at the cup of coffee in his hands.

"We're being rude," the girl said, smiling. "I'm Lieutenant Maya Ibuki."

"Uh, Hi, Lieutenant."

"I'm Hyuga," said the guy with the glasses. "This is Aoba."

"I'm on break," Aoba strode away. "I'll see you dorks later."

"Ugh," said Maya. "What's with him?"

"I have to get going," Shinji mumbled, and trundled away, dropping his shoulders. He quickly made the series of turns that took him back to Misato's office, knocked on the door, and brushed it aside. She was poring over some set of forms, grunting to herself and ticking off check-boxes with a pen. He put the coffee down beside her and she picked it up and took a sip, without comment.

"Blech," she snorted, "It's cold! Go heat it up."

Shinji sighed and took the coffee back, and walked out of the cramped office. When he was a few paces down the hall, he lifted his glasses, stared down at the coffee, and concentrated. Within a few moments, the surface rippled and thin streamers of steam rose up from it. He waited for a moment, then walked back into the office and gave it back.

"Better," said Misato, having taken a sip. "That was fast. Learning your way around, huh?"

Shinji shrugged. "I guess."

"Good," said Misato, picking up a hefty sheaf of papers with a grunt. "I have some running for you to do. Just drop these off, follow the sticky notes. I gave you a map."

Shinji took the papers and flipped through them, noting the yellow notes stuck to the various pages with names and office numbers. He sighed and wandered out of the room, still studying them. As he walked through the complex, he glanced at the map mixed in with the papers, making turns here and there. Gradually, he managed to give away most of the stack, and wondered why these people couldn't just email each other. After a while, he had only a few bundles left.

He knocked on Doctor Akagi's door, and took a barely vocal grunt as sign he was permitted to enter. He knocked again anyway, just to be sure.

"Come on, come on," the scientist groaned, "I'm busy."

Shinji slid the door open and stepped inside, holding out the bundle of papers. Akagi took them, glanced at him, and her expression softened.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. We're all very busy, Shinji."

He nodded. "What are you doing?"

"It's classified," she said, waving her hand as she turned back to her computer.

Shinji furtively lifted his identification badge.

Akagi rolled her eyes. "Misato got you a clearance? You do realize that means more running, right?"

He shrugged.

"So what is it?"

She looked at him askance for a moment. "You're really interested?"

"I like science."

She sighed, leaned back in her chair, and scrubbed her fingers over her scalp. "That's too bad. I really can't tell you about this… although, there is this."

She leaned over, rummaged around the pile of junk around her feet, and tossed a bundle of blue cloth at him. He caught it, and let it unfold in his hands. He recognized it at once as the weird skin-tight suit he'd worn during the synchronization test. It still smelled faintly of the foul liquid from inside the entry plug. He turned it around, looking it over.

"What is it?"

"It's your plug suit," said Akagi. "No one else can really wear one fitted for you, so I figured you could keep it."

He rolled the suit up and tucked it under his shoulder. "Thanks, I guess."

"If you're really interested, maybe we can go over how it works when I have some time. It's really quite fascinating, from a materials engineering standpoint." Subvocally, she added, "like I'll ever have time."

Shinji stood until he was sure she was ignoring him, and then quietly turned and left, closing the door behind him. He glanced at the last bundle of papers and froze. The note addressed it to Kozo Fuyutsuki. He checked the map and threaded his way through the corridors, taking a route that took him by Misato's office. She waved idly, focused on her work, as he took the folded plugsuit and stuck it in his back pack, resting in the corner of her little office. As he walked out of the room, he scratched his chin. It was blue, after all.

He found Fuyutsuki's office and knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Slowly, swallowing hard, he walked inside, trembling a little. The man was older than he remembered, and seemed wearier, although unbowed by age. He was calmly reading some paperwork in a manila folder, tapping the corner with his pen. Shinji glanced around the room, and was a little surprised by it. It looked less industrial than the rest of the place, and more lived in. The old wooden shelves, each set of bookcases slightly different from the others, as if they'd all been acquired separately, sagged under the weight of the books resting on them. He scanned the titles, and noted that a number were written by Fuyutsuki himself, their topics concerning esoteric fields of science Shinji had never encountered before.

"Good books make good company," said Fuyutsuki, without looking up. "You're Katsuragi's 'intern', yes?"

Shinji nodded and handed over the packet of forms.

Fuyutsuki took it and slid it into a basket on his desk without looking at it. "I know about the synch test. It's a shame, but don't let anyone put you down over it. Piloting an Eva is a very specialized ability, and even among the narrow field of potential candidates, very few people possess the specific qualities. It doesn't reflect on you as an individual."

Shinji nodded.

Fuyutsuki smiled. "Besides, in the end, we all find our place in this world."

Shinji nodded, waited for him to say something else, and when he realized it wasn't coming, turned and quietly closed the door to the old man's office. He walked a little oddly down the hall, confused. He'd expected more of a reaction out of him.

"Keep walking."

The old man's voice made him jump. He glanced over his shoulder, saw no one, and then quickly straightened, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I'm whispering. If you can hear me, meet me on the surface tonight. There's a scenic overlook not far from your school. I'll be there at midnight."

Shinji made no reaction, and headed back to Misato's office. When he arrived, she was sipping from a beer can. She looked up at him in alarm, burped, and shoved it back into her desk drawer and slammed it closed with a slosh. He smelled it coming from inside the desk, and a quick glance confirmed she'd spilled it.

"Was that-"

"Was what?"

"Nothing," he blinked. "I delivered the stuff."

"Oh," said Misato, leaning back in her chair. "My shift is almost over, actually. We really should get home, after all. We need to be ready for Asuka."

"Okay," said Shinji. "I'll-"

"Like I said, we need to be ready. Go down to the armory and get us some helmets and flak jackets."

He blinked. "What?"

She rolled her eyes again. "I'm joking. We earth humans call it 'humor', Shinji. One day you will come to understand it."

Shinji smirked.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki looked at his watch, and then put his hand in his pocket. Despite the never-ending heat, there was sometimes a chill in the autumn in the hills overlooking the city, and this was one such night. Tokyo-3 was spread out before him, aglow with activity and the searching beams of floodlights. The lights in trains and cars pulsed and flowed, like a diagram of a circulatory system. He was so intent in his observation that he almost didn't hear the thump of a pair of feet landing beside him.<p>

Actually seeing Shinji fly startled him, but he managed to keep his expression neutral, although he involuntarily took a step back. The boy was dressed in a strange outfit- a short-sleeved blue shirt emblazoned with the red and yellow symbol and a short cape. By the looks of things, he didn't have enough material to make an entire suit, and had cobbled together the rest from a pair of work pants and some boots. Shinji stood with his hands at his sides, breathing shallowly.

"So," said Fuyutsuki. "I assume you opened it."

"Yes," said Shinji. "I have to thank you. I-"

"Your mother would be proud of you."

Shinji froze, and then turned away, scrubbing at his eyes with his hand. "Maybe," he said thickly. "We'll see."

"What can you do?"

Shinji shrugged, and walked over to the guard rail. "I can fly. I'm really strong. I don't think I can be hurt. I feel it when something hits me, but it doesn't _hurt_ anymore. I can see things, too, and hear things. I hear them."

He nodded at the city. "Talking, walking, eating, sleeping. I can hear everything."

Fuyutsuki took his hands out of his pockets and folded his hands behind his back.

"You still need to be careful."

Shinji looked at him. "Professor, who is Rei?"

Fuyutsuki looked away, and leaned on the rail. The ground yawned out beneath him, rendered in muted blues and blacks under the moonless night sky. He sighed, stood up, and turned.

"Why do you ask?"

"She seems familiar, but I can't place her. Did I know her before, when…"

Fuyutsuki's jaw tightened. He glanced at his feet. "In a manner of speaking."

"I don't understand."

"It's…" Fuyutsuki trailed off. "It's complicated. She's family, Shinji. Your family."

Shinji rocked back on his heels, as if struck. "You mean, like a cousin?"

"Not exactly," said Fuyutsuki. "You have to understand, Shinji, this is sensitive information. I could be killed for speaking to you about it."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

Fuyutsuki snorted. "That's why I wanted to speak with you. You may be invulnerable, but not everyone else is. I can't tell you anymore now, Shinji. I'm sorry."

"I don't-"

Fuyutsuki rounded on him, a little more harshly than he meant to. "Your father is a very dangerous man, Shinji. He'll be more dangerous if cornered. I'm taking a huge risk by coming to you like this. I'm not worried about myself. I deserve whatever happens to me. You can't be everywhere at once."

Shinji shrunk back a little, and looked out over the city. "You're right."

"That brings me to the other. Asuka."

"I keep hearing about her," said Shinji, leaning on the railing. "Misato has been talking about her non-stop."

"Captain Katsuragi was her guardian for a time, in Germany."

"She pilots the other Eva. Unit Two."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "That's right. I made the arrangements for her to live with you and the captain."

Shinji blinked. "You did?"

Fuyutsuki smirked. "Ikari ordered me to put her where she would be safe. Where would be safer?"

Shinji nodded. "I won't let anything happen to her."

Fuyutsuki found himself laughing sadly. "Be careful around her. Her behavior can be… strange. I've never had the opportunity to meet her, but I review the psychological reports regularly. She is, well, _damaged_ is the only word that seems correct."

"What happened?"

Fuyutsuki glanced at the boy, leaning on the rail in his silly costume, like a child dressed up for a game. At just the right angle, he looked so much like his mother, the same curve of the jaw and the same depth in his eyes. In quiet moments, Fuyutsuki had often wondered what might have happened if he had never bailed Gendo out after that bar fight, if he had made advances on Yui openly, if the boy had been his, what might he look like? There was little, if any, of the father in him- at least, of _one_ of the fathers. Fuytuski looked at him and remembered he was talking to a teenage boy who could kill a spawn of Adam with his bare hands, and shuddered just a little when he realized what might happen if he told the boy the whole truth.

"She lost her mother in an accident."

Shinji stood up. "What _accident?" _

Fuyutsuki's breath caught. If he reasoned it out, he might fly off the handle, go out of control.

"Do you know what a trigger is?" said Fuyutsuki.

"You mean, like on a gun?"

"That's apt. It's something that causes a psychological reaction in a person, Shinji. No matter what happens, you must never, ever mention to Asuka that you know what happened to her mother. Never even broach the subject. Do you understand?"

Shinji nodded. "Okay, I won't."

"Good," said Fuyutsuki. "We must be careful, Shinji. Very careful. There's more going on here than defending the city from those creatures. We can help each other, but only if we don't overplay our hand."

Shinji nodded. "I think I should get going."

"And so you should," said Fuyutsuki.

Shinji lingered for a moment, then turned and, with curious slowness, took off. It was as if some invisible force lifted him around the waist and carried him up into the sky, leaving his legs dangling. Fuyutsuki felt a tightness in his chest as he watched him disappear into the night sky, and clapped his hand over his mouth when he was out of sight. He could only hope that Yui knew what she was doing, all those years ago.

* * *

><p>Lorenz Keel did not think of himself as ostentatious. In fact, he thought his lifestyle was somewhat understated for his station in life. He spent the majority of his time in his study, which was in the east wing of the family home. The study was a large, imposing, drafty room, with high vaulted ceilings that reminded visitors of a temple or church from the way they arched. The floor was covered in a thick pile carpet and the walls lined with the collections, dozens upon dozens of volumes each worth a small fortune. It was the ceiling that spoke, however; the rough beams and exposed stone made a statement about the primitive urges that lay beneath the refinement of man, the need for the Old Religion. Sitting at a wide desk at the head of the temple of books, Keel was at the end of history, literally and figuratively.<p>

He knew his colleagues had other tastes, but he preferred a simple holographic display built into the desk. Rather than sitting in a dark room confronted by towering black slabs that spoke in booming voices, he sat before a miniature holographic cairn that spoke in whispers. It pleased him to fold his hands together and lean over his colleagues, projected in miniature in the illuminated circle on his desk. Tonight, he spoke with only two of his associates, and they all wreathed themselves in shadows.

"Ikari poses a threat to us, brothers." Said Keel.

"Indeed," said 02. "What do you propose we do about it?"

"I had wished to avoid bringing this to the full committee," said Keel. "I think the fewer of us are aware of it, the better."

"Get to the point," said 03.

"I am prepared to move Nagisa into position," said Keel. "It has occurred to me that, if the Second were to suffer an unfortunate accident, it would justify moving our pawn onto the board earlier than anticipated, checking Ikari's advance."

"What are you suggesting?" said 02.

"I am not suggesting," said Keel. "I am implying. It would be unfortunate if there were to be an accident involving the Second on her journey to Japan, but not a disaster. In fact, I think we could make an advantage out of it."

"I see," said 03. "The final leg of her travel would fall under my jurisdiction," said 03.

"Air travel is so unreliable," said 02. "I have never trusted it myself."

"There is the issue of the attack by the Fourth and Fifth," said 03. "They are scheduled to arrive before we could possibly transfer Unit Two."

Keel leaned back in his chair, and ignored the lancing pains in his spine. "I think the First is in better condition than Ikari would have us believe. In fact, gentlemen, I think he believes he has beaten us at his own game."

"He would not dare," said 02.

"He would," said Keel. "You are both aware of the basis of the Dummy System. In the wrong hands, the technology could be used to create something dangerous."

"As we have done," said 03.

"We had considered the possibility of someone in our organization attempting to prevent our transmigration," said Keel, "but not of subverting it. We are the best and brightest. We are the ones to stand on the shoulders of humanity and ascend the heavens, and none other."

"Agreed," said 02, and 03.

"It was a mistake ever trusting Ikari," said 03. "We should dispose of him immediately."

"He is too entrenched," said 02. "Do not forget the inevitability of our cause. Our victory is foretold by prophecy. Ikari is a tool to be used and discarded. He can be controlled."

"How?" said Keel.

"Allow him to believe he is succeeding, that he has fooled us. In order for his plan to succeed, the children of the First Angel must be destroyed. Our goals are aligned. So long as he is effective, there is no reason to replace him. If we move overtly, he may take action to sabotage us."

"Then the Chairman is correct," said 03. "We position our pieces, and strike when the time comes, not before. I will see that the Second's flight from Vladivostok is properly inspected."

"Good," said Keel. "Very well, my friends. Until next time."

* * *

><p>As soon as she laid eyes upon the rental, Misato hated it. It was big and bulky, and it was orange, which was almost the opposite of her favorite color. Unfortunately, the insurance company considered her Alpine a total loss. At least they'd paid it off- she still owed money on it. It was a bit of a surprise that the policy didn't have language that absolved the company of liability in the case of giant monster attacks and accidental nukings. The clerk at the rental office stared at her chest while he handed her the keys, and she made sure to stretch enough that he could see the shoulder holster under her jacket before she opened the door and stepped inside.<p>

She pulled out from the little overhang where they presented her with the car, and immediately loathed it. Accelerating was like trying to drag a pallet of bricks behind the car, and it handled like a roller skate with a turtle on it. Her attempt to drift a bit around the first corner on her route to the school was a sad, pathetic little thing that nary made a sound, and actually forced her to slow down. She sighed and resigned herself to the right hand lane. She had an hour to pick up Shinji and get to the airport to pick up Asuka, who would be coming off of an overnight flight that would no doubt leave her jet-lagged and cranky. At least Shinji had managed to move most of his stuff out of her new room. Misato felt a little pang of guilt moving the boy into what was basically a really big hall closet, but she had to give priority. Asuka, after all, would know where she slept.

When she pulled up to the front of the school, she was pleased to see Shinji walking with some of his classmates. There was a tall boy in a track suit, which made her wonder how he got away with breaking the dress code, and a shorter kid with glasses and scruffy hair, a typical nerdy type. Shinji indicated her car with a nod and the two boys shrugged. Misato put it park, killed the engine, and stepped out. Both boys stared at her, mouths open, and Shinji turned as red as a beet.

"You live with _her_?" the tall one managed to stammer out.

"Wow!" the short one with the glasses mumbled, fumbling with a video camera. "I… uh… wow…"

"Uh," said Shinji, "Um, Hi, Misato."

"Shinji," Misato purred. "Let's not be late for our date."

Shinji's eyes widened a little, and his glasses rode up his nose. His blush deepened, and his mouth began to work silently.

"We don't want to keep Asuka waiting."

Shinji shook himself out of it and walked along with her, leaving the two boys to stand and stare at her, their eyes sliding down her back as she walked. She put a little extra sway in her hips and resisted the urge to giggle. She just barely heard the one with the camera whisper something about being rich. She managed to get quite a few stares as they got into the car. Once inside, Shinji deflated a little, or maybe inflated, it was hard to say. He let out a breath and relaxed visibly, and his shoulders rolled back, and he sat a little taller in the seat. He seemed a bit taller when he carried himself that way, even sitting down. Misato tilted her head.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nope," she smirked, starting the car. "I think your friends have a crush on me. I didn't get their names."

"Toji," said Shinji, "and Kensuke is the one with the camera. I don't know if we're friends, really. We've just been hanging out a little during school."

"Good," said Misato. "I'm glad you're making friends. After we get Asuka settled in, you should bring them over sometime. I know I'm supposed to keep you busy, but I don't want it to get in the way of you being comfortable here."

Shinji smiled. "Thank you."

Misato smiled back, and floored the accelerator. The car offered up a mighty buzz and lurched forward, the check-engine light fluttering for a bit before it chugged from zero to thirty-five in a blistering ten seconds. Misato fought the urge to grind her teeth as she put on her turn signal and pulled into the right lane once more, and headed for the airport.

The trip was uneventful. Shinji stared out the windows at the scenery, and once they neared the airport, watched the planes flying overhead. Misato glanced at them through the sunroof and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.

"You've never flown before?"

He looked a little confused by her question. "No," he said quickly, "Never flown."

"It's not a big deal," said Misato. "Like riding a big bus. I wonder what it would really be like, though. To fly. You know, without an airplane and stuff."

Shinji only shrugged.

She pulled into the airport unloading lane and parked right in front of the terminal entrance, under a long concrete overhang. She watched her reflection in the long glass doors and scowled at the car, which didn't suit her the way her little blue beauty did. Shinji pointedly looked elsewhere as he stepped out, scanning the area around them as if he was expecting something. A security guard in a pompous uniform dashed up to them, belly jiggling as he ran.

"You can't park here!"

Misato flashed her Nerv badge and grinned as the guard deflated.

"Keep an eye on it for me, will you?"

She motioned for Shinji to keep up and headed into the terminal. The identification card got her through security, Shinji in tow, and they made their way through the concourse to Asuka's terminal. She found the big board where the flight times were displayed, and grimaced. Asuka's flight was running a bit late. They had time to eat, maybe, and she remembered that she was hungry, having had nothing to eat since that morning.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a thin streamer of pitch black smoke billowing through the air, and ran down a flight of stairs to the waiting area at the gate. The flight staff had all lined up along the windows, and were pointing, and people were beginning to run around. As it drew nearer, she saw that the long line of smoke was tipped by a plane, flames trailing from one engine. It teetered through the air, tilting from one side to another, and she glanced up at the arrival board again.

Asuka's plane was going down.

"Oh God," said Misato, fumbling in her pocket for her phone. She hit the speed dial for headquarters and put it up to her ear.

"Shinji, go…"

She looked around. She must have lost him in the crowd. The phone was ringing, and finally, someone answered.

"Captain?" said Hyuga.

"We have a situation," said Misato. "Asuka's plane is going down. Inform the…"

She trailed off. She saw the streak of blue and red pass the low row of tall windows before the sound caught up with it, a rippling boom that made the glass wobble in its frames, burbling like a piece of tin in the hands of a child shaking it to make thunder. The crowd around her went silent, and together their heads tracked the object make a low, lazy circle around the runway and spiral upwards, towards the distressed airplane. All around her, cell phones and cameras and camcorders appeared, and there was a murmur, a rumor that rose to a crescendo as someone in the crowd called out.

"What is that?"

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<em>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter Three: Up in the Sky_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Asuka was beginning to feel like a piece of cargo. This was the fourth airplane, with nary a bit of rest between them. She'd gotten to think she would never escape the stink of an airplane cabin again, the peculiar mixture of some foul smelling industrial cleaning fluid, sweat and old vomit soaking into her very bones. So-called first class was an insult, as it only meant she had a slightly wider seat at the front of the plane, and the foul tempered stewardesses wouldn't give her a glass of wine to calm her nerves, since outside of the civilized world, one had to be much older to drink alcohol of any kind. She wondered how people survived.<p>

She had her pick of seats, which made sense since, as far as she knew, the entire complement of passengers was her security detail. The obvious ones sat around her like crows on a wire in their black suits and sunglasses and wired earpieces, but everyone else she saw when she rose to go to the lavatory or just stretched and looked around in her seat was obviously security, wearing too-heavy coats and big purses that obviously had guns in them. She watched the world slide by under her, and that was the only thing in its proper place. Beneath the thin streamers of clouds, tinged pink in the afternoon sun, she could see the lush greenery of Japan unfolding beneath her.

The fasten seat belt light binged on, and she huffed and quickly worked the latch around her waist and tightened the belt and watched from the corner of her eye as the Section 2 men sharing her row did the same, struggling to work the narrow belts around their wide bellies. She put her chin in her hand and smirked out the window, wincing a little in the bright sun. The clouds were drifting by now, and the plane had tilted paradoxically backward, leaning away from itself as it slowed to descend, the ground gradually working its way closer, inch by inch.

The captain babbled something about the Last Fortress of Mankind and the splendor of the countryside and whatnot, but to her it was all endless green pockmarked here and there by ugly, industrial gray. She could sort of see the city, but it was mostly flares of light against the glass, the sunlight pulled into the huge mirrors that carried sunlight down into the cavern below. It was an engineering marvel, and it was boring. She yawned. She glanced at her watch and realized there was another half-hour of flight time, and so leaned back and put her head against the seat, and instantly regretted it. She would have to wash her hair, for certain.

She had just barely closed her eyes when there was a thump. She heard some murmurs and sat up, and glanced out the window. She felt a cold, dense feeling in the pit of her stomach when she saw thick black smoke trailing out behind the wing. She strained to crane her neck, and by almost pressing against the glass, she could see the acrid black vapor pouring out of the engine, the blades of the turbine fixed in place and grinding against themselves. The plane suddenly took a wild dip, dropping at least fifty feet, and put her guts up into her throat. She found herself clenching the arms of the seat, and her eyes widened when a mask dropped down in front of her.

The agent seated next to her, in ignorance of standard procedure, ignored his own mask and went for hers, trying to force it onto her head, the elastic bands splayed out with his fingers. She slapped him away and tried to snap at him, but the air was too thin and the effort made her dizzy. Instead, she pulled the mask over her head and took a deep breath out of the oxygen bag, and her gaze cleared in a haze of sparkling lights. There was a massive groan, and the airplane shifted, the wrong way. She felt the torsion roll through the body, the deck beneath her feet becoming uneven, slightly curved, for just a moment. All of these details fed into her mind and formed an unavoidable conclusion, like the light at the end of a tunnel that's probably a train.

She had trained her entire life for combat. The possibility of injury or death was never hidden from her. She would be piloting a complex technological _thing_ that no one truly understood, against creatures from beyond the Earth, incomprehensible in and of themselves. If she survived the unstable technology and the combat, it would not be without injury, without suffering. Until this moment, when she saw her airplane begin to yaw earthward and the ground tilt at a strange angle and get too large, too fast, she had never even really considered the inevitability, the finality of death. The conclusion was inescapable. The plane was going to crash. She was doing to die. She could only hope it would be over quickly.

She leaned back into the seat, closed her eyes, and spoke a single word.

"Mama," she said.

The plane became strangely silent. She felt a press of attention, a sudden focus in the bodies around her, and opened her eyes. She was just in time. Everyone, all the secret agents and security men in black suits, were staring out the window, opened mouthed. It took her a moment of processing, but then she saw it, too. A tiny steak of red and blue blurred past her window, and the plane rocked, tilting from side to side. The object looped around in a lazy circle, and slowed. For a moment, she thought she'd gone insane, that the lack of oxygen was making her hallucinate, but if she was imagining what she saw outside the window, she wasn't alone.

* * *

><p>"Okay," said Shinji, "don't panic."<p>

It was easy to say, but difficult to hear. Drifting through the air sideways, the words were lost in the howling wind. The plane was going down, hard and fast, and the right engine was both out and on fire, and from the way it was losing altitude, the other engine must have been damaged, and the hydraulics out. He could hear the flaps and control surfaces grinding against themselves in tune with the pilot's grunting as he worked futilely at the controls. He saw the pale faces pressed against the glass, staring at him, and looked down the length of the plane. He had to slow it down, and steer it somehow. He took the only logical route, and headed for the tail.

He skimmed over the fuselage, through thick cloud of black smoke, and tried to land next to the tall, sloping tail, only to fall right off, his boots skidding on the slick surface. He tumbled a bit and came along beside it. The rudder twisted feebly in place, snapping and grinding against the lack of pressure trying to turn it. Shinji put both his hands on it and pressed, trying to loosen it or direct it somehow. He straightened it out and the plane shuddered and began to ease out of its turn, and so he pushed it a bit more, hoping that working it in the opposite direction would straighten it out completely. It promptly snapped off in his hands and slammed into his face, rolled over his shoulder, and went tumbling gracefully through the air behind him. The severed lines sprayed him with sticky hydraulic fluid.

He shook his head and wiped the gunk out of his eyes, and yelped as the plane began to yaw harder, the wing with the damaged, smoking engine beginning to shudder. There was a great grinding metal sound, a shriek of metal stretching and giving way, and the wing loosened, pressing back against the body of the airplane like a bird's wing. It began to roll, and the other engine let out an agonized wail and burst forth a great belching gout of black smoke. Shinji swallowed a gulp of air and rocketed past the smoke.

He would never be able to straighten it out without the wing, so he grabbed the ragged, sharp edges of the wing and the stump where it had come loose from the fuselage, trailing fuel and fluids, and pushed it until it snapped loose and tumbled through the air. The plane began to turn, and he shouldered into it, and the impact shoved it out of its course, to the side. He put both hands and arms against the body and pressed his chest into it, and grunted with the turn. Shuddering under his grip, the plane began to straighten, and he put out his feet and started pushing in the opposite direction, trying to slow it down. He felt the metal giving under his fingers and heard a squeal, and it suddenly turned against him, pulling in the opposite direction.

He looked over the fuselage and saw why. The other wing lifted, turned, and with a great shriek and groan, tore free and tumbled off into space. Shinji stared at it dumbly for a second and realized the plane was moving on only by momentum, and had lost its lift. He let go, drifted back, and slid under it, moving towards the front. He rolled over onto his bell, felt a moment of uncharacteristic vertigo as he saw the ground rushing up at him, and rose up into the underbelly of the plane, then slapped both palms against it. He grunted with effort as he pressed into it, gradually turning it back onto its belly, and then pushed upwards, its massive weight suddenly pressing crushingly down on his back. He glanced from side to side and saw the rapidly thinning streams of hydraulic fluid and spared a glance over his shoulder.

The landing gear was still up.

This was going to be bad.

He did his best to level it out, and then tilted the nose up, and pushed back into it. He felt the metal buckle behind his back, but there was nothing else to be done. Inexorably, the plane slowed, the entirety of it buckling behind him, and he sucked in a breath in terror that it would bend in half and go spiraling off into the ground. He eased off, supplying the lift now, and spotted the runway at the airport, the long, slender streams of concrete slicing this way and that through verdant green. He steered as best he could for the most open one, which was, unfortunately, right next to the terminal. The plane groaned as he neared the ground, pressing back, trying to balance the need to slow before it hit the ground with the need to keep the whole thing from dintegrating. The earth was closer now, and he could feel the backwash from the runway beneath him whipping his cape against the fuselage. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth and pushed, and his breath caught as the rear of the plane touched the ground.

There was a shower of sparks and a sudden rumble, and the wide curvature of slick metal resting on his back threatened to twist out of his grip. He leaned forward, letting it level out, and crawled up to the nose. He threw his arms over the anodized black cap, and glimpsed the shocked cabin crew staring back at him as he pushed into the plane, slowing it. It began to turn again, and he slid back down, spreading his arms to keep it from rolling onto its side. The terminal was suddenly much, much closer, and he fought not to look at it, for fear he would lose his concentration. Most of the plane was touching the ground, now, the ground easing by underneath him, and he let it come down on top of him, slowly working his way forward until he could turn, put his feet against the ground, and dig in his heels. His feet tore long furrows in the concrete until finally, at last, the whole mass came to a slow, screeching stop.

Panting, he stumbled to the side, and almost fell onto one knee. At the rear of the plane there was a low _whump_, and hot, almost invisible flames licked out from under the tail. He stared at it, wide-eyed.

"You gotta be _kidding_ me."

There was no time, no room for theatrics. The fire trucks were screaming in, but were much too far away. There was only one way he knew of to put a fire out in a hurry. He ran along the length of the plane, ignoring the stares of the passengers through the windows, and sucked in a deep breath, deeper than he ever had before. He actually saw the air warp and twist in front of him as it spiraled into his mouth, and he felt a sudden dense heaviness in his chest, like the onset of a bad cold. As soon as he had it in he pushed it out as hard as he could, leaning into it, and the air blasted from his lungs in a concentrated cone that washed over the flames and pressed them out, as if a giant had squeezed a great wick between his fingers. He expelled the air until he was leaning on his knees, and to his surprise, when it was done there was a thin sheen of ice all over the back of the plane, hanging down in little icicles from the charred tail section.

He took a moment to compose himself, leaning against the back of the plane, and sensed a sudden, new attack. After the barest instant, he relaxed, realizing he wasn't being attacked at all. They had come to rest not fifty feet from the terminal, and he was being photographed. Everyone had a phone or a camera in their hands, snapping picture after picture. Realizing he was being watched, he stood up, put his chest out, and somewhat shakily lifted up. A few of the cameras drooped as the owners forgot what they were doing and stared, open-mouthed, at him.

He moved along the side of the plane until he found the forward door, dug his fingers under the rim, and pulled it out with a crunch. He dipped his head and drifted inside, and stumbled a little bit as the soles of his boots bit the carpet, but not too much. He moved past the little partition and into the first class section, and looked around. A hundred faces in three aisles stared at him, a universal look of shock plastered across them. He let his breathing slow a bit.

"Is everybody okay?"

In response, a rather burly man in a black suit in the front row pulled his mask off, hastily pulled open a paper bag, and loudly vomited.

He found his gaze drawn to the front row. He didn't realize he was staring at the girl sitting there until it was too late, and she at him. Tall and long of leg, she had on a yellow sun dress that left her pale shoulders bare and her lithe legs, like a dancer's legs, exposed up to the knee. He blinked when he realized she was wearing some kind of variation on the little clippy things needed to pilot an Eva, bright red and holding her hair out of her face. Her eyes were the deepest blue he had ever seen, and she had sharp, regal features, the slight tilt of her eyes revealing a mixed heritage.

He remembered that he was staring at her and did his best to recover. He walked over to her.

"Miss? Are you alright?"

She nodded, and then fumbled at her oxygen mask and pulled it off.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sh…"

He looked around. Think, Shinji.

"I'm, uh, I'm here to help."

"Oh," she said.

He scratched the back of his head before he realized he was doing it.

_Come on, Shinji. _

"Well," he shrugged. "I, uh, I'll see you around, I guess."

She blinked twice, and before she had a chance to reply, he strode to the exit, found the lever, and tugged it. With a thump of compressed air, the yellow emergency slide unfolded beneath him, and he stepped off into empty air. He waved at the terminal and rose up, turning as he did, and put his hands to his sides as he picked up speed and headed off into the horizon.

* * *

><p>Misato held her Nerv badge over her head and half-muscled her way through the crowd, shouting words that turned into a sort of growl, lost in the din. She managed to push her way to the doors marked for Employees Only and bluff her way inside, shoving her identification in the face of the guard as she limped down the sloping platform, her strides more like one legged hops. When she reached the end of the tunnel she took the stairs, and rather than hobble down almost sideways put her hands on the rails and hopped down one legged, holding her bad foot up in the air behind her. She almost fell on her face when she pushed through the door into the open air, and stumbled, winced, and coughed at the stench of spilled fuel. As she watched, the plane rocked a little, and from the open door, the emergency slide blew out.<p>

In her short life, she had seen things. The memory of the day her father died –it would always be that first, Second Impact second—was always fresh in her mind, but as a jumble of images and emotions, a cold, heartless poem of cold metal and the sound of something ancient and terrible screaming as it awoke. In some ways, the cloud of it would always hang over her. For one tiny instant, it was forgotten, as she saw a man take a step into the empty air and just take off, fly away into the sky through the column of smoke, slipping through the bright blue sky the way a slim fish skims through the waters. She wanted to cry out, to demand he come back or surrender herself, but the logical part of her mind was overwhelmed by the simple awe of it. He was so _young_. She only glimpsed him for a bare second, but he looked like he couldn't have been much older than Shinji. That reminded her. Where the hell _was_ Shinji?

As thinking his name conjured him, he appeared at her side, wobbling as he struggled to carry a large and heavy fire extinguisher. Misato couldn't contain herself and burst out laughing at him, only to clamp her hand over her face a moment later, when she saw the wounded look in him as he slumped and let his shoulders roll down. He held out the big red canister and shrugged sheepishly.

"I thought we might need this."

She shook her head. "Put that down. Come on."

She hobbled along as quickly as she could, to the bottom of the slide. A rather sickly looking pilot put his head out through the opening and looked down, scanning the tarmac as the big fire engines rumbled forward, sirens blaring, and started spraying fire suppressant on the tail of the plane. All it did was melt the thin coating of ice that was already there and pool on the blacktop and start to mist. Shinji shied behind her like a child hiding behind his mother's skirts as the first passenger descended the yellow slide, bowing it with her weight. To no surprise, it turned out to be Asuka.

Misato offered her a hand and shakily the girl stood up, and stumbled a bit, and her face was almost green as she valiantly contained the contents of her stomach. She finally managed to right herself by clenching her fists and then closing her eyes, and she took a deep breath. Misato waited patiently.

"Are you okay?" said Misato.

"Fine," Asuka snapped. "My plane crashed, how do you think I am?"

Misato smirked. "You sound like yourself."

Asuka put her hands on her hips, her blue eyes sparkling with indignation. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah," said Misato. "You're fine."

Asuka huffed again, and folded her arms. She nodded at Shinji. "Who's that?"

"My assistant," said Misato. "Come on, let's get out of here."

As she glanced around, she saw a great number of cameras pointed in their direction still, and the girl was still wearing those damned nerve clips on her head. She might as well have tied on a headband with a bulls eye on it. Misato resisted the urge to grab her and, to her relief, spotted a number of dark-suited men moving in the crowd behind the glass, and a few more running towards them. At their head was Gorou Yoshida, the head of Section 2 himself. Misato slowed and naturally adjusted herself. Yoshida reminded her of her drill instructor from her days in the JSSDF and the reminder was uncomfortable.

A great solid block of a man, he carried his bulk with a surprising grace and speed that spoke of years spent training for function over form. He watched everything at once through mirrored glasses and said something softly into his wrist, just out of her earshot. Shinji craned his neck forward a little, and then quickly stared at the ground, and dedicated himself to watching the feet of the two women walking in front of him.

"Katsuragi. I see you recovered the pilot for us."

Misato's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. We're just on our way to my car."

"We need to debrief her."

"I'm standing right here," Asuka snapped.

Yoshida ignored her. "She's a valuable asset. She needs to be secured."

"Hey," Shinji interjected. "I don't think you should-"

Yoshida glanced at him disdainfully and gave him a little shove. "Quiet, runt."

"That's the commander's son," Misato snapped, squaring herself up.

Yoshida snorted. "Your point being?"

"I outrank you," Misato said as she crossed her arms. "The pilots are under my authority. She's coming with me."

The big man considered her for a moment. "Fine. I have other matters to attend to. You let the civilian authorities approach the plane?"

Misato rolled her eyes, dismissed him with a wave of her hand, and motioned for the kids to follow her. She felt an instinctive urge to avoid limping around the Section 2 men, to avoid showing weakness in front of a predator.

Asuka knocked her out of her contemplation. "Where are we going, exactly?"

Misato sighed. "Right. My car, then my apartment. They told you-"

"Yeah," Asuka hissed. I'm living with you."

The walk back to the car was awkward, to say the least. The Section 2 men cleared a corridor through the terminal for them, and the trip was surprisingly swift. Misato slumped a little, having planned to show off her car. There was always an unspoken competition between her and Asuka, and a lot of little digs and subtle resentment. Asuka disliked Misato for an incredibly silly reason, but to Asuka, everything was gravely serious, no matter how minor, every perceived imbalance or compromise an assault on her honor.

Shinji quickly moved to open the door for Asuka, and then got in the back himself. He still hadn't spoken, and Misato knew she's start needling him soon. She realized she was right as soon as she slid into the car.

"So," said Asuka. "Ikari, right?"

"Yes," said Shinji. "I didn't get to introduce myself, I'm sorr-"

"You should be," Asuka said coldly. "You're the reason I'm here, aren't you? The washout."

Misato sucked in a breath as the girl turned and peered at Shinji over the back of her seat. There was an uneasy silence for a short time, and then Shinji simply shrugged and adjusted his glasses.

"Being able to pilot an Eva is a rare ability," said Misato.

Asuka huffed. "You make it sound like it's some kind of superpower. I didn't just get handed my status on a plate. I had to work for it."

"Well," said Misato, "Shinji didn't have time for eight years of training. Who would you rather have saving the world, a complete newbie or the best pilot we have?"

Asuka immediately brightened, and Misato let out a soft, inaudible sigh, glad of the victory. Outmaneuvering Asuka into dropping something once she'd seized on it was like trying to pull a rag out of an ornery puppy's mouth- the harder one tugs, the harder the task becomes. Asuka leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

"So, what are you doing here, exactly?"

"He's my intern," said Misato.

"I wasn't talking to you," Asuka rolled her eyes. "I said what are you doing here, washout?"

Shinji shrugged. "I didn't have anywhere else to go, I guess."

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Oh," Misato said wryly, "He lives with me. With us, now."

Asuka sat bolt upright in the seat. "What? That's perverse! I can't live with a boy!"

"Why not?"

Asuka folded her arms. "It's improper for boys and girls to live under the same roof after the age of ten."

"Oh," said Misato, settling into her seat. She twisted a little on the cheap fabric started up the car, and put it in gear. "You don't have to worry about him stealing into your bedroom at night. I saw him first."

Misato grinned. Asuka let out an annoyed squeak, turned a deep shade of red, and was matched by Shinji, whose eyes went wide. He started to say something but quickly and smartly snapped his mouth shut before whatever it was could go tumbling out and get him in more trouble.

"Don't even think about it," Asuka snapped, rounding on him.

"I was kidding," Misato sighed. "He's a perfect gentleman. You'll hardly notice he's there. Once it's light's out, it's like he disappears, he's so quiet."

* * *

><p>Asuka had three goals. One was to get the world put back to its proper place, to put her things in their proper order in her new room. The mere fact that she had a small segment of her previously available space was a grave insult, especially since she had been living on her own since she was thirteen, first with frequent visits from Misato and later Kaji and then completely on her own. She saw the DHL truck pulling away from Misato's ugly little brutalist apartment building and smiled inwardly. She wouldn't have to go shopping. Yet. She despaired to think of the all of the relationships she'd cultivated with the boutiques in Berlin, now lost to the wind, and the bizarre choices she'd have in regards to food and fashion. She eyed Misato up and down covertly and decided she would not be wearing [i]that[i] uniform. The woman looked like a stripper. She could have at least bought clothes that fit.

The boy sitting behind her puzzled her. Once their little tiff ended, he studiously began ignoring her, instead preferring to stare out the window as if the sights of the city were the most magical thing he had ever seen. As Misato pulled into the parking lot, she twisted, making as if it stretch and pop her back –which needed it, by the way—and looked back at him.

"Hey, you."

He crinkled his nose a little, and his glasses slid down. "My name is Shinji, Miss Soryu."

Asuka smirked wickedly and pushed his glasses back up his nose, and he jerked back, startled.

"You act like you've never seen any of this before. Don't you live here?"

He shook his head. "I just got here. I lived with family, out in the country."

"Oh," said Asuka. "So you're kind of some country bumpkin, then. From…"

"Asuka…" Misato deadpanned.

"Smallville," said Asuka. "Some little Podunk smallville. That will do."

"It was a nice place," Shinji shrugged, and got out of the car. He had the good sense to open the door for her.

It took longer than she liked to get up to the apartment, with Misato limping on her injured ankle. She'd have to ask the older woman what happened there. The reaction on Shinji and Misato's faces was amusing as they saw the twin rows of boxes, stacked four high, that ran down the hallway leading up to Misato's apartment. She strode past them both.

"Well? Are we going in, or not?"

Misato mumbled something and opened the door for them, and Asuka looked at Shinji expectantly.

"Well?"

He shrugged, picked up a stack of boxes, and started carrying it in. He quailed and struggled under the weight, bending his knees as he walked and shaking. Asuka stifled a laugh. Misato gave her a wry look as if she understood some kind of a secret. Shinji quickly, and perceptively, picked up on it and straightened with a sigh, walking the boxes towards what was to be Asuka's new room without the mock duress, though he looked a tad nervous for some reason, his eyes constantly flitting back to her when she wasn't looking.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and followed him through the apartment. It would have been a good size for her alone, but was cramped for the three of them. She absently remembered to kick her shoes off at the door as she entered, and slid the door open for Shinji to carry the first load of boxes into her room. Once inside, she felt sick at how tiny it was. She was going to have to keep a great deal of stuff in boxes, and there was no _bed_. Where was she supposed to sleep? After poking around for a moment, she found folded mats and bedclothes in a small closet, and huffed. She would be buying a bed and she would be doing it soon.

"Well," she rounded on Shinji, "that's not all. Hop to it."

As he left, she quietly followed him out, and glanced at the room across the hall. When she heard him outside talking to Misato, she quickly stole across the carpet and slid his door open. The flimsy doors, which didn't even have knobs, much less locks, were yet another problem that would need to be rectified. She would have to see about getting a real door if she was to be forced to endure living in this place for very long. She glanced back over her shoulder to make sure she was unseen, and peeked into his room.

She almost felt bad, almost but not quite. Shinji's so-called room was pretty clearly a closet, although a large at that, just big enough for him to stretched out on a bedroll of his own, although it looked like he never used it, it was so neatly folded. He had a small nightstand and a stack of books absent shelves. To her surprise, they were not all in Japanese, in fact, most of them weren't. She couldn't make heads or tails of the squiggles these people called writing, but she could guess from the size and covers that some of the Japanese texts were cookbooks or textbooks. The others were in English and French, also cookbooks, some physics textbooks, and a book of poetry. To her surprise, he had a beginning German phrasebook tucked in with the others.

Lying neatly folded, wrapped in plastic, was his plugsuit, tucked away in the corner. She felt another pang of almost-regret as needling him for his failure. She might have gone a bit too far. She sighed, heard footsteps, and tried to quickly and quietly bump the door shut. She spun around to find Misato standing behind her, hands on hips, a wry look on her face.

"I didn't think you'd be the one I'd find sneaking around."

Asuka turned her nose up. "I am not going to sink to your level, and dignify your immaturity."

Misato snorted derisively. "Oh, really."

"I was curious, is all. I have to live with him, I want to see what kind of person he is."

Misato smirked. "Wait until he starts cooking. You could help him, you know."

Shinji teetered past, a stack of four boxes leaning drunkenly in his hands. He navigated the small space expertly, keeping them balanced with a sort of jocular ease that belied the quiet way he'd taken up since she met him. He set the stack down and quickly went to fetch the next one, making a neat line along the wall in Asuka's new room.

"What is all that stuff, anyway?"

"Do I go around picking at your things?"

"Yes." Said Misato.

"Bah," said Asuka. "I bought my own perfume. I can if I want, I'm an adult."

Misato stared at her blankly, and Asuka resisted the urge to growl. "You do have a bathroom, don't you? I need to use the facilities, and shower, and I want some sleep. Have your manservant make me up a bed."

Misato rolled her eyes, but didn't argue, instead calling for Shinji.

* * *

><p>He didn't mind, really. For Shinji, carrying the boxes was less than annoyance. Nothing, really, was heavy to him, and he had to devote a small degree of his attention to making sure he didn't move too quickly, lift too many boxes, or balance a fifty pound stack on one hand while someone was looking. Misato called his name as he was setting down his latest load. He dutifully walked over to her and waited. He felt like an insect in a terrarium. The older woman and his new housemate were both staring at him, all the while flicking glances at each other. Misato he understood; she was casting about for some opportunity to tease him. Asuka, on the other hand, was a complete mystery. Compared to every girl he'd ever met, she was some kind of alien, a bizarre creature in human skin whose behavior was so shockingly different that it startled him at every turn. His eyes found the polished nerve conductor clips fixed in her hair, and he found himself wondering how she would look without them.<p>

"Will you make up Asuka's bed?" said Misato. "We'll need some dinner, too."

"…and quit staring at me," said Asuka.

"Sorry," he sighed, and went to roll out her sleeping mat and mattress.

He stood up and quickly scanned the boxes, looking for bed linens. Being able to see through them made the task easier. He blushed furiously, even though he was alone, when he spotted the box, actually _the boxes_, containing various garments, and realized what he was doing. Instead of putting himself in a situation where he was explaining how he found what he was looking for, he found a set of unwashed sheets in the closet and finished making up her bed. Once done, he craned his neck around the doorway and saw Misato's back hunched over the kitchen table.

He glanced back out into the hallway and hurriedly moved, just slow enough not to attract attention. Precariously balancing the piles of boxes in either hand, he quickly jogged lightly back and forth from the hall to the bedroom, lining the walls with the containers. After a few minutes, he was finished, and went into the kitchen and washed his hands.

Misato looked up. "You're done?"

He nodded.

"Oh," said Misato. "I have to…"

He heard a scream, immediately tensed, and as it always did when he felt danger, the world slowed. Misato moved with ponderous, tired surprise, her raven hair swirling around her head. He could count the individual strands. He watched the bathroom door open and slam against the wall, and instinctively turned away and slapped his hands over his eyes. He caught the briefest flash of red hair, darkened and heavy from water, and the long, drawn out _waaaaaark_ that told exactly what was happening.

With his back turned, his eyes clamped shut, and his hands over his face, he held his breath as the flow of time returned to normal and bare feet padded across the kitchen floor.

"What the hell is that?" Asuka shouted.

_Wark!_

"Oh, that's just Pen-Pen."

"What the _hell_ is it doing in the bathroom?"

"Trying to take a bath?"

Shinji snickered.

"You!" Asuka snapped, "Don't laugh at me!"

He heard her stalk over to him. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"Uh," said Misato. "Asuka. I think you forgot something."

"What? I…" she trailed off.

Then, she shrieked and ran from the room. Misato sighed, stood, and followed her. Shinji peered out between his fingers, and made sure he was alone before turning around and falling against the countertop as he forced out a deep sigh. He looked down and saw a steam-dampened Pen-Pen staring back up at him. The penguin tilted his head to the side.

"Did you do that on purpose?"

"Wark," said Pen-Pen.

Misato poked her head into the kitchen. "She's dressed. You can relax now."

Shinji nodded. "Dinner?"

"See if Asuka wants anything. I just got called into work."

With that, she disappeared, leaving Shinji alone with the penguin. Pen-Pen slapped his thigh and gestured towards the empty food bowl. He took a quick look around and, making sure no one saw, yanked the top of the sardine can free in a fluid motion and shoved it down into the recycling bin after he'd emptied it out. Pen-Pen went to his meal hungrily, and Shinji gingerly walked out into the hall.

"Asuka?"

"Go 'way," she murmured.

Curled up on the mat in her bedroom, she was already tucked into the fetal position and half way asleep, her wet hair spilled over her face and shoulders. Shinji hurriedly looked away, guiltily realizing he'd used his abilities to peer into her room without opening the door, and blushed reflexively. He listened, and heard Misato limping across the parking lot, and the sound of her getting in the rental car and starting it up. He concentrated and his hearing expanded, and in the distance, he heard a scream.

Quickly, he ducked into his room, pulled out his backpack with his uniform and boots, and threw it over his shoulder. He scribbled a quick note about going out for food in case Asuka woke up, and left it on the table. He tip-toed past her room, then ducked out through the front door. Pen-Pen watched him, head tilted to the side, and he pressed his finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. Absurdly, the penguin nodded in agreement. Once he was in the hallway, Shinji made his way to the emergency stairs, dashed down them, and left his clothes in the back pack, tucked under the fire extinguisher box.

From there he ran into the alley behind the apartments, took two quick steps, and took to flight.

* * *

><p>It had been a long day, and Tsubaki felt weariness hanging on her like a heavy overcoat. She stumbled over the gap between the train car and the platform, and remembed, vaguely, a time when trains like this were so full she would have been trampled for making the same mistake. Now, she was one of the few people stepping off at this stop. There was a lonely severity to it, a perpetual reminder of endless loss. Her keys were already in her hand as she half-jogged the short walk from the station to her apartment block. Like most, her building was half empty, and she had nearly an entire floor to herself and her son. She felt as if she would collapse by the time she made it to the door, opened the lock, and stepped inside. When the door opened, she froze.<p>

The window in the living room was wide open, and the evening breeze, a slight chill in comparison with the heat of the day, swung the thin curtains inward. She looked around frantically, ducking into the kitchen and bedrooms, but found them empty. A tightness in her throat, she put her head out the window and traced the thin ledge that ran under it with her gaze.

"Jiro?"

She froze. The cat, the damned cat, was perched at the edge of the building where the ledge wrapped around the corner, and there was Jiro, clinging to it, one hand wrapped around a drain pipe running down the plain concrete wall. He glanced over his shoulder.

"Mom? Mom, I'm stuck!"

"Don't move!"

She sat on the windowsill, starting to swing her feet out, and thought better of it, kicking off her high heels first. He stocking-slick foot slid off the thin protrusion of the ledge into empty air, and vertigo swirled through her, shoving her stomach upwards. She pressed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, hanging halfway out the window, and closed her eyes to steady herself.

"Mom?"

"Don't move!"

She opened her eyes again and saw something impossible.

There was a man standing next to her, and beneath his feet was only empty air. She stared at his half-laced boots for a moment, dumbstruck, as the limply hung into the void. He tapped her on the shoulder.

"It's alright, ma'am. I've got him."

The flying man drifted down the length of the ledge and put both hands out to Jiro. Her son stared at him, dumbstruck, and then glanced at the ground, far below, with a wince. The strange motioned with his fingers, and gently cradled the boy under the arms even as they wound tightly about his neck. With his other hand, he plucked the gray tabby from the ledge by the scruff of its neck, and then drifted back to the window.

"Ma'am?"

With a start, she slid back into the apartment. The flying man dropped the cat in first, and then gently handed Jiro over to her through the window. They both stared at him, speechless. The cat licked at its paws, raised its tail in indignation, and stalked off.

"Well," said the stranger, "I guess I'll be going. Next time, just let the cat come in on its own, okay? Cats land on their feet, but little boys don't, and it's a long way down."

They both nodded. Slowly, trembling, Tusbaki closed the window and put her son down. The flying man waved before he took off into the night, and Jiro waved back.

* * *

><p>Misato wanted a drink, and she wanted her bed, and she'd been denied them both. After the trouble at the airport, she should have known they would call her in, but couldn't it wait until the morning? Besides the embarrassment of driving this lame little hatchback into work, she'd have to suffer through some security briefing or report or something that had surprisingly little to do with her. She made no effort to hide her limp as she flashed her badge and stumbled into the elevator, resting on the railing that ran around the inside to take some of the pressure off her feet. Ritsuko joined on the next floor. There were bags under her eyes, and the lipstick on her bottom lip was patchy and uneven from cigarettes rolling around on it.<p>

"You look like shit," said Misato.

"Thanks," Ritsuko deadpanned. "You here for the briefing?"

She nodded.

"Yoshida has something up his ass," Ritsuko shrugged. "Insisted we do this tonight."

"There's an image."

Both women snickered.

"Something to do with the whole plane thing."

"The whole plane thing," Misato repeated.

"You saw him."

"Yeah. I didn't get very close. He can fly."

"Yeah," said Ritsuko, motioning to bring a phantom cigarette to her lips. "That he can."

"It's weird. I don't even know how it works. It wasn't like he flapped his arms or something, it was like gravity decided to just stop working for him."

"I've been thinking about it," said Ritsuko. "The apparent invulnerability, levitation. It could be explained by an AT-Field."

"You mean, you think this guy is an _angel?_"

Ritsuko shrugged. "An infiltrator, maybe. Gain our confidence and just walk in here."

"That's ridiculous," said Misato. "Angels can't be people!"

Ritsuko looked at her blankly. Something, hidden, twitched around the corner of her eyes. She made the phantom cigarette motion again, stopped, stared sheepishly at her fingertips.

"Just a theory," she said.

"I wonder what we should do?"

"I think that's why we've been called to this meeting." Ritsuko shrugged.

They spent the rest of the elevator ride in silence. Finally, the doors parted, and Ritsuko led the way, sparing a glance at Misato's ankle as she hobbled after her.

"Is that still bothering you?"

"I'll be fine. Come on, I want to get this over with."

The walk to the Commander's office was long and quiet. He was on a level of the complex by himself, probably to build up a sense of anticipatory dread in any who came to visit him. For all this glaring, Misato wasn't quite sure exactly what he _did _all day. As the two women entered his office, they found him behind his expansive, and utterly empty, desk, perched behind his own hands. Beside him was the sub-Commander, Fuyutsuki. Yoshida was standing to one side, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Reporting as ordered," said Misato.

Ritsuko managed an amused grunt, and looked at the floor.

"Dispense with pleasantries," said the commander.

Yoshida straightened and put his arms at his sides. "The Second Child's plan was sabotaged."

Misato felt the color drain from her face. "What?"

"Once the civilian authorities were cleared out, I moved my own men in. They were thorough. We're lucky she made it to Japanese airspace at all."

Misato snorted. "Lucky, huh."

Yoshida glared at her. "The interference of the creature was also fortunate."

"The creature?" said Misato.

"Yes," said Ikari. "The so-called 'flying man'."

"We were unable to contain the situation," said Yoshida. "By the time we were able to get the web filters up, the news media was already being bombarded with photographs and videos from the crash. It's out."

"That is a separate issue. The security of the Second Child is now paramount," said Ikari. "We must have an Evangelion pilot."

"Assuming that she can pilot Unit One at all," said Ritsuko. "We don't know that for certain."

"I trust you will deal with the synchronization testing," said Ikari. "Immediately."

"What about the security issue? We should move her onto the base."

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Misato.

Yoshida glared at her. "Why not?"

"She needs social interaction. I've already arranged for her to begin attending the high school."

"Ridiculous," said Yoshida. "She's an asset. It's too risky."

"I agree with the Captain," said Fuyutsuki.

Of everyone in the room, only Ikari failed to stare at him. He went on.

"Her psychological condition is fragile. Spending time with her peers would do her some good. She'll be of no value as an _asset_ if she cannot function."

"The risks…" said Yoshida.

"Triple the security detail around the school," said Ikari. "Screen everyone who enters or leaves the city."

He directed his gaze to Ritsuko, a subtle gesture. "Devote Magi processing cycles to monitoring all ingoing and outgoing communication."

"So what are we going to do about this… person?" said Misato.

"I am still considering that."

An awkward silence descended over the room. Misato shuffled uncomfortably on her feet, and winced. Ritsuko coughed into her fist.

"Dismissed," said Ikari.

Only Fuyutsuki remained in position, as the others departed.

* * *

><p>As he coasted over the city unfolded beneath him, Shinji felt like a swimmer doing a dead man's float over some sort of luminescent coral reef. Even in darkness, the world beneath him pulsed with light and life. Sliding over it, he was an invisible observer, watching in silence. He heard a screech of tires and turned his head. He wasn't sure exactly how it worked, but by concentrating, he could focus his sight on a particular spot and magnify it, somehow. He dipped down towards the sound, skimming between buildings with his arms at his sides.<p>

A heavy armored car lurched away from an automated teller kiosk. Three men in tan uniforms sat in front of it, bound in ropes, their wrists secured with zip-ties. Shinji came down beside him, and all three stared at him, dumbstruck, leaving him to speak first. He knelt down and casually broke their bonds, snapping the rope and plastic with the pressure of his fingers. All they could do was point.

He took three quick steps and dropped forward onto his belly, tracing the armored car's path along the road. It leaned drunkenly to the side as it took the next corner too-quick, and almost struck an oncoming car. Shinji moved up and over it, and then came down beside the driver's side window. A man in a ski mask wrestled with the wheel, while another beside him brandished a rifle. The two men glanced at him for a moment, and then slowly turned their heads to stare.

He tapped on the window.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think this belongs to you."

The driver blinked, jerked the wheel, and the bulk of the vehicle slammed into him, knocking him off his path and for a loop. He staggered in the air, tumbled backwards, and steadied himself before moving forward again. This time, he pushed his fingers between the rim of the bullet proof glass window and the door frame, and pushed down. It groaned as it stripped the gears of the motor that moved it up and down. Now exposed to the air, the two men started screaming incoherently at him. The driver pulled out a gun and shot him.

He watched the hammer drop, the primer and powder ignite, and the bullet and stream of superheated gas stream from the barrel as the slide slid backwards. The bullet hit his chest and skimmed over his shoulder, tumbling up and out into space. He darted out with his hand, pulled away the gun, and closed his fingers around it. It crumpled into a ball of angles and springs. He dropped it in the man's lap, and stared down the barrel of the rifle.

"Really?"

He felt a certain satisfaction as he returned to the automated teller machine. The three men he'd untied stared at him in awe as he landed with a great thump. In his right hand, he held the two thieves by the collars of their jackets. In his left hand, over his head, he held the armored car. He pushed the thieves away and motioned for them to sit down, and then gently returned the vehicle to the ground. It groaned as it took its weight back on its springs. When the drivers had the two thieves tied, he gave them a wave and took off, back into the night sky.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki waited patiently, and his patience was rewarded.<p>

"Thoughts?"

He glanced down at Gendo. The man continued his façade even in private now, never leaning back in his seat or joking as he had in younger days. Fuyutsuki studied him for a moment, then sucked in a breath.

"How does the Committee feel?"

"That this… person… represents a threat. If we are not seen as the sole defense against the Angels, the Scenario is threatened."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Perhaps we could approach him."

That drew a reaction. Gendo leaned back ever so slightly, and tilted his head towards the old teacher. "What?"

"I see no alternative. How do you propose we stop him?"

Gendo leaned forward again. "I don't. My only concern is that the Angels are defeated and the Scenario proceeds."

"Of course," said Fuyutsuki, "but as you said, the appearance of weakness is a threat. Perhaps there is an alternative."

"Such as?"

Fuyutsuki shifted on his feet. "Public relations."

Again, Gendo seemed surprised. "What?"

"We could release a statement. Appeal to the press. Attempting to lock this down now will only make it seem that we're afraid of this… person."

"You must be joking."

"Why make fools of ourselves fighting a potential ally? As you said, defeating the Angels is our top priority."

"True," said Gendo. "I must consult with the committee."

Fuyutsuki took that as a sign to leave. He unfolded his hands from behind his back and walked out of the room, without glancing over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Asuka awoke with a start, and quickly clamped her mouth shut. It wouldn't do to let her new roommates hear a girly scream, the product of the disorientation of waking in a strange place. She sat up slowly and rested on her knees, trying to force the cobwebs from her head. The last day had been like a dream. She could still feel the sensation of the airplane torqueing under her feet. Everything else had a sort of hazy quality to it, like a dream. Slowly, she got to her feet and stretched, and slid the door to her bedroom open. She immediately remembered how light it was, and grimaced.<p>

Quietly, she walked out into the hallway. It was still dark outside. She could hear Misato snoring. Quietly, she crossed the hall and pressed her ear to Shinji's door. There was no sound inside. She tapped on it with her fingers.

"Hey," she whispered, "are you in there?"

There was no response.

"Listen, I'm only going to say this once. I…" she forced herself not to clench her teeth, "I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier."

Again, there was no response.

"Fine," she snapped, "be that way."

Sighing, she wandered into the kitchen, blearily scanning the room to make sure that damnable penguin wasn't underfoot. She swept her hair back over her shoulders and opened the refrigerator. As to be expected, there was a great surplus of no doubt cheap, foul tasting beer. Asuka had tasted beer before, but never liked it too much; she preferred wine, and once spent six weeks learning about the finer points of viticulture. Unfortunately, her attempts to get Kaji to share a bottle with her ended, to put it lightly, _poorly_, and she'd stuck to water after that. Finding no actual bottled water in the house and disdaining the tap, she rooted around in the refrigerator until she found a bottle of what she assumed was some kind of soda. The kanji eluded her, and the stylized script on the bottle might as well have been in Greek. She set it on the counter, and searched out a glass.

The contents of the kitchen cabinets stunned her. Given how Misato kept her quarters in Germany, this must have been Shinji's doing. Everything was in its place, neatly stacked, every piece of glass or flatware professionally buffed. The glass she chose had such a high mirror shine she stopped to admired herself in it. She had bags under her eyes, no doubt from the fatigue of her travel. She poked at her cheeks, shook her head, and poured herself out a glass of soda. She found herself staring at the open cabinet, pushed it shut, and surveyed the kitchen, sipping from her glass. There was a curious, almost artistic neatness to it, like a formal garden. She almost felt bad soiling the cup she drank from. She could only imagine what this had been like before the boy arrived, and almost found herself admiring his resolve in cleaning up after Misato. If it hadn't been such a pathetic, housebroken act, she would almost have found it admirable. Almost.

She tipped back the last of her drink, washed out the glass, and set it next to the sink. For some reason, she felt the need to adjust it until it occupied an aesthetically pleasing position. Satisfied, she walked back to her bedroom and despaired of getting back to sleep in a reasonable time. Just as she slid her door shut, she heard the front door to the apartment close, and froze in place. She could hear Misato snoring, and if Shinji was in his room…

It turned out to be Shinji himself. Looking quite satisfied with himself, he lazily walked through the living room and down the hall to their bedrooms, making not a sound as he walked. He his school bag over his shoulder, heavy with, well, something. She glanced at her cell phone. It was four thirty in the morning. She'd been asleep for over twelve hours, and still felt tired. She shook her head to rid herself of those mundane thoughts and watched Shinji.

He seemed different, somehow. There was a quiet way about him, a change in his gait and his manner. The way he stood, with his shoulders back and his belly pulled in and his chest proud, reminded her of one of the dozens of statues she'd seen in Berlin, some general preening in stone over a medieval victory. Yet, at the same time, he was so casual, without a care in the world. He ducked into his room, and she heard him unzip the bag and ruffle with some cloth, followed by two quick thumps. She hid behind her wall and peeked through the crack between the door and the jamb as he came back out, yawning. He'd left his glasses in his room, she realized, and she only caught a glimpse of his eyes free of the thick lenses, blue and gleaming.

She dared open the door a little wider as he walked through the kitchen into the bathroom. She heard him turn on the shower, yawn again, and hurriedly ducked back inside as he walked back to his room, oblivious to her. He muttered something to himself about his glasses, slipped into his room, and came back with them in hand, the earpieces pinned between his fingers. Asuka gasped involuntarily and blanched, wondering if she'd given herself away. Apparently planning to take a shower, he'd taken off his shirt and was walking around in his school uniform pants. She didn't expect the quiet boy she'd been snapping at earlier to be, well, _buff_. He really did look like a statue, like someone tapped a Greek sculpture on the forehead and brought it to life.

She slid the door shut and dropped onto her bed, holding her breath. She rolled onto her side and let out a long, quiet sigh. She'd forgotten how sleepy she was, and was quickly drifting off into a quiet, silent sleep.

* * *

><p>Shinji felt like he should be tired. A sort of vestigial fatigue hung around him, the sort of haze that falls over us just before we become drowsy, but the actual tiredness never came. Once he made sure his other clothes were secured, he showered and started working on breakfast. The quiet routine of preparing food eased his mind. The only thing out of place was a glass resting by the sink. Pen-Pen emerged from his little refrigerator and poked anxiously at Shinji's leg, pointing at his food dish. With a sigh, he fished out a can of sardines, yanked it open, and poured them out for him. He was eating hungrily as Asuka walked, rubbing at her eyes and half stumbling, into the kitchen. Misato joined her a moment later, and the two fell into a curiously automatic routine, moving around each other's slow, haggard movements.<p>

Misato sat down at the table with a beer. She studied the can for a moment, and Shinji took advantage of it. Ever so slightly he turned, lifted his glasses, and focused. There was a soft ping of expanding aluminum, and he turned back to his work. Misato cracked the can open and took a long pull on it, and immediately sputtered and coughed as she forced it down.

"Blech, it's warm!"

"Coffee, maybe?" said Shinji, holding up a freshly brewed pot.

She eyed him. "Whatever."

He poured her a mug full and finished bringing the soup to boil. Misato stared into her cup for a few minutes, taking brief sips here and there. Asuka emerged from the bathroom, her hair wet from the shower, wrapped up in a fluffy robe.

"That was quick," said Misato.

"I'm not going to spend an hour shampooing if I have to get that rancid gunk in my hair."

Shinji shuddered, remembering the feeling of breathing in a mouth full of the LCL. Asuka walked over to him and peered over his shoulder. "What is that?"

"Soup," said Shinji.

She crinkled her nose. "What is that, fish? Some kind of grass or something? Don't you have any real food?"

"Uh," said Shinji, "Toast?"

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll have that."

Shinji dutifully prepared the toast. She snatched the plate out of his hand and hurriedly began eating it, working her way around the outside to eat the crust first.

"I've got to get going," said Shinji. "School, and all."

"Have a good day!" Misato smiled, a little half-heartedly, still staring into her coffee.

"Whatever," Asuka said through a mouthful of toast.

Shinji shrugged, picked up his bag, now filled with actual books and his school laptop, and headed out the door. He walked slowly, watching the long black car parked in the corner of the parking lot. A tall man in a dark suit muttered something into his wrist. Shinji pointedly looked away, all the while listening.

"The Ikari kid just left."

A tinny voice from the agent's earbud replied, "Don't worry about him."

Shrugging, he walked on. The journey to the school was quick an uneventful, and he put his head down and joined in with the crowd of students working their way to their morning classes. Being one of the first to arrive, he took up his preferred seat at the back of the room and sat back to watch the birds flit back and forth in the morning sun. As the appointed hour drew nearer, more and more students filed in. Hikari had just arrived when the trouble began.

Toji, holding a stack of newspapers over his head, ran into the room, Kensuke in tow, huffing and puffing to keep up.

"He's real!" Toji cried, "He's real, he's real! I told you, he's real!"

Shinji froze. Toji slammed the stack of newspapers down on an empty desk, and the rush of students moving forward drowned out Hikari's cries for order. Shinji reluctantly got up and made his way over, not wanting to stand out from the crowd. He was confronted by a whole slew of grainy, black and white pictures of _himself_, either standing neark Asuka's plane, or, in one particularly good shot, lifting off from the top of the emergency slide.

"There's a reward," Kensuke grinned. "They have a reward for the first clear picture of him."

"What do they call him?" Hikari asked, having given up on restoring any sort of order. She leaned over the crowd on her tip-toes, considered it for a moment, and leaned on Toji's shoulder to get a better look. He blinked.

"Nobody can agree on a name," said Kensuke, pointing out the various papers. "I like this one."

Shinji followed his finger to the full-width headline, a single word in bold letters.

"Superman," said Toji. "That sounds right."

* * *

><p>Asuka shrugged into her plugsuit, pointedly not looking at the large 02 stenciled over the back plate. Technically, it stood for second <em>child<em>, but there was a certain symmetry that had been broken now that she was forced to pilot the prototype. She hadn't seen it yet, but even among the technicians in Berlin it had a reputation unbefitting an inert machine as a willful, glitch system- some of the idiots even joked about it being haunted, but there was a certain grave undertone to it, the grim sort of joke men tell when they want to trivialize something that frightens them. She sealed the plugsuit around herself and walked out of the locker room, towards the cage. It was colder here, for some reason, and the smell of LCL stronger, more primal, more like blood. She told herself it was her imagination and walked out onto the collapsible walkway that crossed the Eva's chest.

The cage had been cleared for her, and so she was alone, her footsteps echoing across the metal and blending with the sound of the gently circulating LCL sloshing around the Eva. It had to be continually pumped in and out in a very gentle current, for the benefit of the Eva's organic systems. She faltered a bit in her step and gasped when she saw it.

Hunched forward, Unit One was definitely different. Besides the coloration, it had a more primal, savage look to it, the armor sections on the head fitted more closely to the biological components underneath, to the point of having a mouth that was visibly bolted shut. Heavily damaged from the last battle, half of its face was covered over in gray primer covered layers of composite material. The damaged sections hadn't been fully repaired yet, leaving the eye lens on the damaged side fully exposed, huge and round. She could see wires running up under the plates and even caught a glimpse of the stitching in the flesh of the pale gray creature that was hidden under the armor. She understood, clearly, that even though it had genetically engineered biological parts –a bipedal robot would be an engineering nightmare without them—it was still a machine, a thing built by people. Yet, seeing the pale flesh pulled tight by a thinly healed scar covered in stitches didn't help that impression.

She realized she was staring at it, coughed, and started working her way up the gantry. The plug was exposed and ready. All she had to do was sit on the edge, swing her legs in, and drop into the LCL. It was freezing cold around her legs, and she gasped as she sank up to her hips. She slid down the side of the plug until she reached the chair, pulled herself up onto it, and pulled the control yoke down to lock it in place over her legs. Once that was done, she leaned back and closed her eyes to wait while the plug sealed. She heard the hiss as the door closed, then the curiously hollow sound as the LCL began flooding in around her.

The plug slammed home without warning. It rocked her in her seat, and she sputtered, still working in the first breath of LCL, and it turned into a cough.

"Hey!"

"Hold on," a female voice said, ringing hollow in the plug.

"What?" said Asuka.

"Nothing," a younger voice said. "It does that, sometimes."

"Does what?"

"Relax, Asuka," said Misato. "The prototype is a little finicky, that's all."

Asuka sighed, and it bubbled the liquid in front of her face. The interior lights warmed up, and the temperature of the LCL began to rise as it started softly circulating around her face. Breathing became much easier, and she felt herself calming. In a few moments, the ordinary process would begin, and she'd pick up a sudden sensation, like an itch, and a feeling of weightlessness and the odd sensation of her limbs being doubled as the nervous system of the huge cyborg synchronized with her own.

Except, it wasn't like that at all. There was a sudden, not sharp but strong pressure at the back of her neck, and she gasped involuntarily. The normal swirl of colors came, but there was a curious pattern to them, a strange sense of order that didn't fit with the random noise she was used to. She felt an intensely curious sensation, a feeling of _presence, _like something was watching her, and the synchronization process dragged on, the colors swirling around her for a few seconds, then a minute, more.

"What's going on?"

"Stay calm," said the first voice. "This is normal. The system is adjusting to you."

The sense of presence increased, and she turned around, looking around the plug, but it was empty. It was alien, at first, but after a time, there was a smell, a familiar scent that she couldn't place. She wasn't really smelling something –the LCL made that impossible—but there was no other way to describe it. It made her feel like she was drifting, and gave her the curious sense that someone was speaking her name just out of earshot.

Then, all at once, the synchronization came. She was suddenly aware of the titanic body of the Evangelion, standing waist deep in freezing cold liquid. She felt the tightness on her face where Unit One had been damaged, as if bandages were layered over her cheek. She felt the restraining bolts driven into her shoulder and hips, and her left eye twitched involuntarily, as if someone were spreading her eyelid open with their fingers. The sensations faded.

"Wow," said Misato. "Incredible, Asuka. You hit sixty-eight percent, there, for a bit."

She blinked. "Where is it now?"

"Forty-three," said Misato. "Not bad."

"My usual percentage is forty-eight!"

"Stay calm," the first voice said again. "No one has _ever_ synched with Unit One successfully, Asuka. It's amazing you managed it at all, much less that it was so high."

She could see them, now. A view of the control room was being piped into her video feed- it was actually in her head, but it appeared to float in front of her, a product of the Eva's synchronization with her. She literally saw what it saw, filtered through the computer systems to create the impression of a cockpit, to make piloting feel more natural and normal. Misato was in the control room, but wasn't actually doing anything- she was actually sitting backwards on an office chair, leaning on the back. There was a bottle-blond and a mousy girl, a few others she didn't recognize. She should have demanded proper introductions from these people before she let them shove her in this thing.

"Asuka?" said Misato. "What did you say?"

"What?"

"You said something."

Asuka blinked. "I did?"

"Yeah. It sounded like you said, 'what did they do to you?'"

"I did not," said Asuka, as she crossed her arms.

"Fine, fine, relax. We need to run the standard battery of tests. We can't do any movement until the repairs are finished. This'll take a few hours."

"Oh," said Asuka, "Lovely."

* * *

><p>Things were fairly quiet after Hikari chastened the class for their disorderly behavior. Fairly ordinary, except for the sneaking horde of men in black that had descended on the school. Shinji would have been worried, if he hadn't been able to look through their coats and read the Nerv identification badges in their pockets. Something was up. He leaned back in his chair and glanced around the room. Today, about half of the students were reading the news, an unusual sight in and of itself. In particular, they were reading about the plane crash. They were reading about him.<p>

Something about that bothered him more than he thought it would.

He glanced again at the agents outside, careful not to look too directly, for fear they'd notice his attention. He slouched a little, and realized how silly he was acting. He glanced around at the screens again, and propped his chin on his hand.

They were there for a reason.

They weren't there before. Something changed. The only thing had had changed was Asuka. They were there to watch Asuka. But Rei attended the school, and she wasn't there, why weren't there agents before? It made no sense. Unless they had a reason to suspect something.

He sat up in his seat. Of course.

The plane. Someone did something to the plane.

Quickly, he hopped on the internet, making sure to slow his typing so that he didn't accidentally break the keys. He got a few quick, confused looks before he slowed even further, to a more normal, but still frantic pace. He pulled up some articles about the crash, scanning past himself, until he found the flight number. From there, he searched out the tail number and more importantly, the specific type of airplane that was used. It was an Airbus, and according to his searches, it had a perfect operational record- only one plane had ever been grounded for mechanical issues, and there had never been a crash. They were a relatively new, post-Impact production, but it was still highly unusual. Backing up to the news sites, he started looking through the pictures again. Not for the pictures of himself, but for the aftermath. He caught a quick glimpse of Misato, and was relieved they didn't seem to have paid any particular attention to her, or to Asuka.

The pictures were teeming with men in black.

He sat back in his seat. It was all connected somehow, but how. The sudden security presence around Misato's apartment made sense, but why were there so many more men around the school? They weren't trying to be visible, and he didn't think anyone but him would have noticed them to begin with. That meant they weren't there to be seen, so there was a specific reason to…

Someone sabotaged the plane. It was the only thing that made sense.

Someone tried to _kill her._

"Hey man," Toji leaned over to him, "You okay?"

"F-fine," he stammered. "Just, uh, you know, stuff."

Toji blinked. "O…kay…"

Shinji sighed. "I have a new roommate."

"Oh," said Toji. "Huh. What, Misato have some guy move in with her."

"No, she…" Shinji trailed off. Revealing Asuka's identity was probably a bad idea. "She's Misato's… cousin."

"Whoa," said Toji. "I bet she's a babe. You are the luckiest…"

Hikari turned around and silenced them with a reproaching stare. Shinji thought _he_ had heat vision. Shinji slumped in the seat again and moved to close his laptop lid. Kensuke leaned over from the other side.

"Hey," he whispered, "Check it out. More sightings."

"Sightings?" Shinji whispered.

"Yeah. Superman! He was all over the place last night. Look."

Kensuke leaned over and typed in an address on Shinji's laptop, and brought up _another_ news story, this time with grainy, black and white stills from the security camera on the automated teller machine. His face was a gleaming blur. He sighed in relief.

"A clear picture," said Kensuke. "A clear picture, and I'll be…"

Hikari turned around again. Kensuke quickly shriveled into his seat.

Shinji glanced up at the clock. He never thought he'd be eager to go to work.

* * *

><p>Asuka was more than happy to finally get out of Unit One. It wasn't as bad as she expected, but it was still unnerving. When the plug opened, she quickly slid out and onto the deck, careful to keep her footing on the slick gantry. She held onto the railing as she walked down to the deck, and gave the Evangelion a final, wayward glance as she passed it on her way to the locker room. She nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a great groan of metal and synthetic flesh, and the Eva's head turned, ever so slightly, to follow her. She stood on the bridge, panting, and fought a powerful urge to run.<p>

"They say it's haunted."

She spun on her heels and nearly fell. The blond woman was approaching her. She had on a lab coat over a fairly scandalous outfit, and all the mannerisms of a smoker who was trying to hide it. She folded a pair of glasses and slipped them into her pocket.

"Ritsuko Akagi, M.D., Ph.D.. Head of Project E."

"Asuka Langley-Soryu, B.A.," Asuka said, wryly. "I know you by reputation."

"Gave you a little fright, did she?"

"What?"

Akagi snickered. "The Oni System. Unit One."

Asuka raised an eyebrow. "She?"

"Word is, she's haunted," said Ritsuko. "They say she moves on her own, that she's watching us."

Asuka put her fists on her hips, puffed out her chest, and did her best to look like she was doing neither. "That's ridiculous."

The profanity didn't faze her. "Good girl."

Asuka's eyes narrowed. The scientist went on. "It's a thermal expansion effect. Whenever we run a test, an overload in the neck joint heats up the armor plating and makes the head turn. It's a little more pronounced with some of the armor off."

"I knew that," said Asuka.

"Then why the jump?"

"I'm a little drowsy. Jet lag."

"Well, we're done with you for today. Misato will take you home. You did an excellent job."

"Thank you," Asuka said sweetly, forcing herself to smile. She let her grimace return when the Akagi woman was past her.

Once she was in the locker room, she quickly dispensed with the plugsuit, tossing it on the floor with a wet slap. She would have kept it on to shower, but it felt too confining today. She made a quick job of that, too, mostly focusing on getting her hair clean. It still smelled of the LCL, but not badly enough to bother her, and another, longer shower at home would take care of that. Once she was dressed, she headed out and nearly jumped out of her skin. Again.

Misato was standing in the locker room.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Nothing I haven't seen before," she smirked, brandishing a bizarre looking costume in a plastic bag.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's your school uniform."

"My _what?"_

* * *

><p>Keel leaned forward, towering over the miniature hologram of Gendo Ikari planted in the center of his desk. He rather enjoyed positioning himself so, but made sure not to make it too obvious. Just obvious enough. For his part, Ikari remained motionless in that damnable pose of his, as if covering his mouth somehow made him inscrutable.<p>

"Did it work?"

"No," said Ikari. "We have apparently underestimated his abilities. It didn't break the skin."

Keel leaned back and refused to grunt from the pain in his back. "I see. What then?"

"We will have to wait for one of the Angels to injure him."

"That may take too long. I took a risk convincing those other fools to sabotage her plane. An immense risk. If he hadn't intervened, our only viable pilot would be dead."

"I'm sure whatever lie you spun them will leave them none the wiser," said Ikari. "We cannot proceed without a viable sample. The Fourth is due in a few days. We will have to wait."

"Indeed," said Keel. Without ceremony, he reached out, shut down the projector, and for good measure, tossed a fine silk handkerchief over it.

The boy moved from the shadows, his crimson eyes catching the light from the fireplace, like two hot coals in a lantern.

"Unit Two will be moved soon. You will be parted from me, my child. Do you stand ready?"

"Of course," said the boy, in his sweet, lilting voice. How wonderful a child, he was.

"He will test you."

"Ikari, you mean. I will deal with him."

Keel smiled a thin smile. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

><p>You have been reading<p>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter Four: In His Bare Hands_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Shinji awoke to the lilting song of summer birds and the atonal screech of Asuka demanding the bathroom from Misato. He immediately flicked his eyes closed again and willed himself to sleep, but sleep did not come. Though he may have been bulletproof, the sound of a cat fight outside his door was more than enough to fight off any hope of catching the last few moments of rest before his alarm clock went off. He drew in a breath and waited, listening to the wires in the clock radio warm as the speaker let out the first blaring squeal.<p>

"Are you done yet?" Asuka shouted.

"No!" Misato sang back, obvious glee in her voice. "Hey, can I use your shampoo?"

"What? No!"

"I'm using your shampoo!"

Shinji groaned and jumped to his feet. He silenced the alarm with a tap and stretched. He still had yet to get used to waking up without feeling groggy or tired. He was beginning to think any sleep he got was more out of habit than necessity, and he was beginning to forget to eat, too. He made a point of looking about for food as he made his way into the kitchen. Asuka ignored him as he walked barefoot across the cold floor. She stood in her pajamas in a commanding pose, fists on hips, back squared, her hair fluffed up like the plumage of some kind of tropical bird.

She glanced over her shoulder. "Aren't you going to make breakfast? I don't want any seaweed or whatever this time, either."

Shinji shrugged by way of reply, and started heating a frying pan. When she turned away he lifted his glasses and gave it a quick burst of heat, then tossed a pat of butter onto it with the edge of the knife. Pen-Pen watched him, head tilted in a sort of bemused attachment. The bird watched as he swirled the butter around the insides of the pan, melting it, then trundled over to the refrigerator and returned with the egg carton under one wing and a can of fish under the other. Shinji nodded appreciatively and opened the can, actually using the can opener this time, and dumped out his morning meal.

Asuka walked over to him. "Eggs?"

He nodded.

"Over easy?"

He nodded again.

"Better than seaweed," she mumbled, heading for the refrigerator.

When she turned her back, he quickly plucked two eggs from the carton, took them between his fingers, cracked them, and plopped them into the pan in a quick, easy motion, then tossed the shells in the compost bin. He sighed as he watched the eggs sizzle around the edges. Pen-Pen started gulping fish down in great sloppy beak-fulls. There was a quiet tempo to it all, and it surprised him how common, how ordinary it all felt. The only element of place was Asuka. His eye kept wandering to her.

She had on an oversized t-shirt, yellow. It must have been a favorite color of hers, since she seemed to wear it a lot. An oversized t-shirt and jeans that were cut off so short they might as well not have had legs. She stood with her heels together and bent at the waist while she rummaged in the refrigerator, and Shinji found himself studying the tightening of her hamstrings and the pale skin of the small of her back, exposed as the hem of her shirt slipped forward.

She stood up with a can of soda and he started in surprise. He recovered quickly, turning the sudden movement into a flourish with the frying pan. The eggs tumbled through the air and landed neatly back in the pan, yolks unbroken. Asuka was unimpressed.

"What were you-"

Pen-Pen, at that moment, barreled into her legs, the egg carton tucked under his wing. He let out an angry, throaty _wark_ and went about putting the eggs back in place. Asuka muttered something about a stupid bird and sat down at the table, kicking her bare feet back and forth in front of her chair as she sat idle. The balls of her feet made tiny squeaking sounds on the kitchen floor.

Shinji plated the eggs and put them in front of her.

"Where's my toast, washout?"

"Oh," said Shinji.

He handed her a fork, grabbed the toaster, and quickly flipped the push-tab to mock the sound of toast popping up. He plucked a pair of bread slices from the bread box, fanned them in his fingers like playing cards, and gave each a quick pulse over the rim of his glasses, then dropped them onto her plate.

"Perfect," she mused, ramming the crust of the bread into her eggs.

Misato chose that moment to appear in the kitchen, swaddled in a variety of towels. Held in one hand was a school uniform under a plastic bag. Asuka eyed it as if it were a thing alive, and batted at the hem with her hand.

"I told you, I am not wearing that."

"I think you'll look good in it," Misato smirked. She grabbed the skirt and wiggled it for emphasis.

"It's stupid," she snapped through a mouthful of toast. "What pervert came up with that?"

"You'll look good in it. Won't she, Shinji?"

He froze. "I-"

"Of course he agrees with you. He _is _a pervert. How else could he stand living with you?"

Misato snorted. "Whatever. Bathroom's open. Now where's my beer?"

Asuka took a final bite and jumped to her feet. "I called it."

Shinji took her plate as she left without thanking him.

"She _will_ look cute in that uniform," said Misato.

"Wark," said Pen-Pen.

"You'd better get ready when she gets out of the shower. You're walking her to school."

Shinji groaned.

* * *

><p>Kaji was a little nervous.<p>

There was something innately uncomfortable about disguising one's self in a bright orange jumpsuit. Yet, there was no real alternative. He didn't stick out like a sore thumb, being far from the only Japanese present at the Munich branch, but he felt a deep pang of fear at every lingering glance, at every hesitation, at every subtle movement of his eyes betraying unfamiliarity with these halls. He was about to steal what was, arguably, the most valuable object in the entire world, a tissue sample of the creature from which the Evangelions were cloned, a sample of the tissue from the First Angel that landed in Antarctica in 1999. He had no leads on the nature of the Second Angel yet, where and when it had appeared and how its attack had been thwarted with the Eva program in its infancy, but the reward for his risk today would be the chance to learn that information from the beating heart of Nerv, the Tokyo-3 facility. He would transfer with Unit Two in a few days, beginning the arduous journey to the other side of the world, and with it he would carry his bargaining chip.

Right now, though, the thought foremost and heaviest in his mind was that ancient terror of all spies, voiced simply as _I can't believe I'm doing this._ He focused, hard, on not glancing at his name tag as he walked into the elevator with another half dozen men in identical suits. A major part of the spy game was what they call social engineering, or to put it in less obtuse terms, the carefully practiced art of appearing that you belong wherever you are, so no one pays attention to you. Most people think of spies as action heroes with gadgets, fast cars, and fast women, but the exact opposite was true. The meat of spy work was being so innocuous no one would bother looking at you, which, oddly, required being just suspicious enough that you weren't obviously hiding something.

It was to that end that he coughed and looked at his watch.

The man next to him, a big Swede, glanced over at him. "Nervous?"

"Yes," said Kaji. "My wife is ill, and the Company won't let me transfer back to Japan."

The Swede considered that for a moment, then chuckled. "Slavedrivers, they are, the bastards."

Kaji nodded, grinned, and sighed theatrically as he directed his gaze at his feet. He waited as the elevator car slid from stop to stop, disgorging the men inside in twos and threes. He checked his watch again, making sure the time was right. He was relaying on a number of factors, most importantly that Gendo Ikari would benefit more from this theft than from deliberately exposing him to curry favor with his superiors in Seele. There was a non-zero chance that he would end up standing in place like an idiot while large men with guns appeared from everywhere at once.

The blood-red second hand on his watch tick-ticked, and when it hit the twelve, the lights went out with a great thump of opening circuits. He took a breath, reached into his jumpsuit, and retrieved the pair of night-vision goggles he'd stored there. The virus would give him three minutes without power to make the extraction, and he had to be quick. He ducked along the wall through the Evangelion cage where the first Mass Produced unit was being built.

Looking at it was a mistake.

It hunched forward, a great red-lipped mouth filled with razor teeth. It seemed more alive than the others, and by far less cosmetic, the disgusting thing that lived inside the armor closer to the surface than in the prior Production Model. Seele was never intending to build an army of Unit Twos, he knew that, but to see this thing in its great iron prison, shackled to the wall with honest-to-God chains, filled him with dread. Biological though it was, they were building it in the truest sense of the word, and patches of its pale skin were horrid, bloodless open sores of white flesh where it hadn't finished growing yet. Its right arm was just a stump, the flesh slowly working its way out from the shoulder joint over a white-sheathed internal structure of artificial bones. It looked like its arm had been taken and flayed apart, revealing the skeleton and thin strands of wet nerve tissue underneath, livid and repellent.

He pulled the brim down over his cap and went on, trying to make up the time he'd lost gaping at the thing. There was another cage between him and the prize. This one was empty, and to his surprise, brightly lit. He had to pull his goggles off to pass through it, and when he did, he saw why. The entire room was a giant solar collector, a series of mirrors spiraling sunlight from outside down into it, bathing everything in a harsh, weirdly artificial glare. It was overcast outside; he realized with a start that if it had been a sunny day, he'd practically need a welder's mask to take the intensity of the sunlight in here.

The vault was on the other side. He was close. He didn't dare carry the combination inscribed on a piece of paper, since if he'd been discovered, they would recognize it. The vault was surprisingly small and surprisingly plain. He expected a complex system of redundancies, maybe a dedicated power supply and a keypad, but the damn thing had an actual mechanical dial. The process of dialing in ten numbers was cumbersome, but it worked. The handle turned, and the vault door moved on light hinges, not much bigger than a standard door in any house. Inside, at the far end of the dim interior of the vault, was a small box, not much bigger than his fist. He swallowed in anticipation, found his mouth dry, and reached for it with trembling hands, then froze.

There was something odd about the metal interior of the vault. The color was off. The surface was tarnished, and where it was clean, a bluish white that didn't look like steel at all. He almost touched the metal and froze, suddenly holding his breath. He wasn't in some impenetrable vault of layered steel. He was in a room made entirely out of _lead_.

Radiation shielding.

He swallowed again, and began to feel his lungs burn. He took the box from the pedestal, and wasn't surprised at all by its weight. It was coated in rubber, probably to protect whoever handled it from exposure to the lead itself. It was an innocuous thing, unremarkable in appearance. He made sure it was securely latched; it looked like it was meant to split in half, sealed with a rubber o-ring and clamped down tight, probably airtight. It had never occurred to him that the thing would be radioactive. He realized now why Ikari had set this up; it would be easy to hide radioactive materials on a voyage by nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

He glanced at his watch again and realized he was running out of time. The box was small enough that he could palm it, and he did so, afraid it would visibly drag on his covealls if he put it in his pocket. He headed out into the brightly lit, cavernous cage, and towards the pre-planned escape route that would get him out of the complex before anyone notice his precious cargo was gone.

* * *

><p>Ritsuko found herself unnerved often in her work. It seemed that coming across things no one should know was a condition of her employment, and it took a grand effort, fueled by coffee and cigarettes, to keep it going. In truth, she had no idea which was more disconcerting, that the Commander was in unusually high spirits this morning, or Rei. Standing in an empty, blank hospital room, she decided that the crimson-eyed albino was the more disturbing of the two. As she approached the girl's hospital room, she shivered involuntarily. A farcical pretend examination was required to maintain the ruse that she was injured. She had many reasons to avoid it, first and foremost overseeing the continuing repairs to Unit One.<p>

The girl fixed her gaze on Ritsuko.

"Doctor Akagi."

"Rei. How are you feeling today?"

"I am uninjured. I should leave now."

Ritsuko sighed. "Not until next week."

Closing the door behind her, Ritsuko walked into the room. She had to spend at least ten minutes in here, to make it seem as if she were actually checking on Rei's condition. The tittering nurses outside annoyed her. It was surprising how the highest of security clearances didn't preclude a total lack of maturity. Rei was sitting up in her hospital gown, her arm slung in the fake sling. Around her was a fan of printed paper sheets, carefully cut into strips and shapes with a pair of scissors. Ritsuko tilted her head; for the last few days, the girl had been doing nothing but staring at the walls.

"What is that?"

"I am collating."

"Collating what?"

Rei paused in mid-cut, looking up through the fringe of her hair. "Information."

"What information?"

She looked guarded, almost embarrassed. "Information about Superman."

Ritsuko started. "How did you…"

"It was on television. I asked the nurses for the newspapers."

"They gave them to you," Ritsuko said flatly. "I see."

Rei apparently saw no further possibilities in the conversation and went back to smoothly cutting the strip of paper free from the page. She worked the scissors deftly one-handed, using her ring finger and pinky to turn the page under her hand as she cut. When she had the article she was collecting free, she picked it up and put it on the stack with the others, and then began flipping through the rest of the pages.

"Why?"

She stopped again, without looking up.

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing… that."

Rei looked up at her. "I do not know."

There was a moment of silence between them. Ritsuko heard the sound of the air conditioner pumping air into the room, felt the weight of her lab coat on her shoulders and the too-smooth texture of the clipboard in her hand. The longer she stood there, the more she found herself locked in Rei's gaze, drawn into her crimson eyes. She shook her head to distract herself from it.

"Should I stop?"

"Do what you want."

"Yes," said Rei. "I will."

"I think you should put that away, now. The Commander will be here to see you later…" she trailed off.

In the wastebasket beside the bed was a shattered vase, a cheap one of the sort one buys for too much money in hospital gift shops. A few wilted flowers lay in the bottom, stuck to the metal where the water that had once soaked them had dried. Ritsuko craned to look down into the canister.

"What is that?"

"Flowers."

"Why are they in there?"

"The staff avoid me."

"No, I mean, where did they come from?"

"Shinji gave them to me."

Ritsuko arched an eyebrow.

"You threw them away?"

"No. The Commander did. He said I do not need them."

"Oh. I suppose you don't, then."

Ritsuko glanced at her watch. It had been long enough. Without further comment, she strode out of the room and pulled the door tightly closed behind her. She heard the old television set on the wall thunk to life, and the sound of talking. Rei had turned on the news. Without quite knowing why, Ritsuko leaned against the door and shivered. There was something in her eyes, something new.

* * *

><p>Asuka was trying to approach the situation clinically, to avoid giving into the animalistic fury welling deep within her. She wanted to start screaming. She felt both overencumbered and overexposed in the ridiculous uniform they had her wearing, a stuffy starched shirt with a ribbon tied around her neck and a perversely short skirt. She looked like she was wearing some sort of fetish costume, and the stares she got from a few salarymen trundling to their train stops in the morning heat only infuriated her further. Only the conspicuous swarm of security goons trailing her and Shinji kept her from unleashing her fury on the nearest available outlet. For his part, Shinji was useless. His idea of "walking her to school" appeared to be following a few steps behind her, staring at the ground and nervously glancing at the alleys and doorways they passed as if he expected something to leap out and swallow him.<p>

It amazed her how his demeanor had shifted from the first night she was in Tokyo-3, the way he swaggered into the apartment and seemed so at ease, so comfortable in his own skin. Now he managed to fidget even while walking, exuding an air of pathetic banality that oozed out of his very pores. He shifted his backpack over his shoulders as if the weight bothered him and awkwardly tried to settle into position next to her as they boarded the train. The security men ghosted into position around the doors and windows. They probably had snipers watching her. It was ridiculous. Something about the situation caught her eye, though. Shinji somehow seemed to pick them out even more easily than she did, weigh them up, and shy away from them. His eyes naturally fell to the bulges under their coats where they wore shoulder holsters. It seemed peculiar, since he'd had no training at all. Who had taught him to-

The wave of molten fury that flowed through her actually managed to outrun the sensation of fingers closing around her rear end. The man standing next to her idly looked away while he got in a good squeeze, cupping her and lifting with his fingers for full effect. Asuka shrieked and wriggled loose, spinning in the tight quarters of the train. Shinji stared, dumbstruck, eyes so wide they looked to fall out behind his glasses. Once the initial shock faded, Asuka 's training kicked in. She flicked her arms out, used her unusual height to her advantage, and laced her fingers together two-by-two behind the chubby interloper's neck. In the same motion she brought her knee up into her solar plexus, let her leg drop, and tightened her toes as she thrust the thin ridge of her shin upwards between his legs.

Her assailant's startled cry drew the security men. Four of them melted through the crush of people like fish through water and had the man who grabbed her by his arms and under his shoulders. With surprising speed, he was hauled off his feet and dragged through the crowd and to the edge of the train. Asuka felt a feral grin split her lips as she heard the thump of a heavy fist into his gut, although he was probably feeling her blow more than anyone else's. She stood a bit taller and glanced around the train, as if to say, anyone else want some?

"W-what was that?"

"The groping fee," said Asuka. "I will strike down anyone who _dares_ touch my person. Remember that, Washout."

Shinji swallowed hard, and glanced over his shoulder. She could have sworn there was a look of pity on his face. There was another thump and he tensed, visibly.

"Don't tell me you feel sorry for that letch!"

"He…" Shinji trailed off. "What he did was wrong, but he doesn't deserve to be hurt like that."

Asuka's eyes narrowed. "So you'd just let him grope me, then?"

"No! I wouldn't-"

She smirked and leaned closer to him. "Oh, so you'd defend my honor."

She straightened with a snort. "Right. What are you going to do, be pathetic at him?"

"Sorry," said Shinji.

The doors opened and the throng parted to let her go. There was another detail ready to meet her at the next platform, all hunched shoulders and thick necks in dark suits and sunglasses. She smiled brightly at the attention, feeling like the queen she was, arguably the most valuable person in the world until another Child was identified and trained. Birds chirped. The air was clean and fresh, even if it was hot.

She didn't hear the shot. You never hear the one that gets you. She jumped in surprise, though, as the crack finally caught up to her. She heard a tiny tink-tink sound on the pavement in front of her, and saw the pristine bullet rolling to the patent leather of her shoe, as if someone had plucked it from the cartridge and dropped it there. The chest of the agent closest to her bloomed with bright red blood, rolling paradoxically outward as he went backwards, bending at the waist. Three men were running at her with guns. The security detail was shouting. One of them pulled Shinji away from her and shoved him aside. She thought she saw him fall off the platform, but was quickly distracted as the barrel of a gun met her face.

Then, there was a wind.

No, not a wind. A blur of motion.

She heard a curious sound, the squealing cry of metal folding over itself. A ball of sundry gun parts dropped on the pavement with a thunk and rolled until a protruding bit of barrel stopped it, and it came to rest. She didn't remember falling to her knees, was suddenly aware of the sharp pain of scraped skin. She was clutching her chest. Her heart was pounding, trying to beat its way through her ribs. For a moment, she thought she'd been shot herself. Then she heard the sound. Click after click after click, flashes drowned in the morning sun. Phones. Cameras.

Superman stood over her wounded guard, his attention turned from the three men now bound with their belts tightly looped and knotted around their wrists in ankles, tied in a small circle. He leaned down and then stood back up and looked into the crowd.

"What are you doing? This man is hurt. Call an ambulance!"

His words seemed different than before. Clearer. He didn't sound the same as he did on the plane, as if he'd grown into his own voice. His call rolled over the platform and suddenly the phones taking his picture were pressed to ears as a shouting cacophony of people called for help.

He reached down and took her around the waist and helped her stand. She put her hands on his chest instinctively to steady herself. It stunned her how warm he was, how the tight muscles under his weird shirt felt warm, human. She blinked.

"Miss? Are you okay?"

"Get away from her!"

The security men came charging at her, two or three peeling off for their wounded comrade. Superman started in surprise. A hand clamped around his upper arm and he looked shocked, but at ease. There was an instant of tension as the guard stared at him, and he was reflected back in the sunglasses the man wore.

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka snapped.

Superman pulled his arm free. It was a gentle motion, harmless, the way an adult withdraws their hand from a child's grasp. His feet stopped touching the ground and he lifted up into the air, and he was gone. Asuka stood there, shaking.

"We're driving you to school. The car is this way. Let's go."

She walked in a daze. "Wait, where's-"

"Here," said Shinji raising his hands in surrender as he approached the guards ringing her. "I went to get help."

"I'll bet you did. Just abandoned me like that," Asuka snapped.

"Sorry," said Shinji. "Are you okay?"

Her fingers were trembling. Her knees her from when she'd fallen, and her heart was still fluttering. She swallowed, and her throat was suddenly dry.

"I-I'm fine," she said, her brows scrunching as she realized what happened.

Someone tried to _kill_ her. She suddenly found herself floating along, her feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Her world was a ring of beefy bodies in black suits, but it seemed thin protection if someone meant to do her harm. They ushered her to a long black sedan, opened the door for her, and all but pushed her inside. Shinji sat down next to her, across a narrow field of carpet from a Section 2 man facing the opposite direction. Shinji blinked nervously and adjusted his glasses.

He dropped his backpack on the floor and opened it up. To her surprise, he pulled out a first aid kit in a small white case, laid it on the seat next to him, and opened it up. He fished out pack of sterile wipes and held the package in his lips while he took out some other things and laid them aside.

"What are you doing?"

"Your legs," he mumbled, gesturing at her knees.

"Oh."

"Um," he said, "your skirt is kind of…"

Absently, she slid the starched fabric up over her knees. Gently, he opened the first pack of sterile wipes and, cupping her calf in one hand, gently wiped the scrape clean. His hands were shaking, and he stopped to steady himself a few times. Once he'd disinfected the cuts, he carefully bandaged them with sterile pads and gauze. As he ministered to her wounds, she leaned back in the seat, suddenly tired as the wave of adrenaline reached its peak and receded, like a great wave crashing on rocks and then washing back. Her breathing slowed and she started trembling harder. There was something soothing in the way Shinji attended to her, the way he touched her like she was made out of glass. When he was done he adjusted her skirt to hang naturally over her legs and started putting his things away.

She turned to him and caught the corner of his eye as he fumbled around in his backpack. He slowed, almost expectantly. He winced, as if expecting a reprimand.

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>Misato walked into her office, coffee in hand but longing for beer, to find Yoshida sitting in her desk. It was as if a gorilla had snuck into her office and seated himself in her creaking task chair. She already felt like a secretary, and had little tolerance for this further insult. She was about to unload on him for his presumption when he cut her off.<p>

"Ten minutes ago, there was an attempt on the Second Child's life."

Misato blinked. "What-"

"It was clever. An advance man groped her on the train, so the other three would know which car she was on. They took a pot shot and ran at her with guns after her and that other kid stepped off the train."

"Shit," said Misato.

"I hope, at this point, you're prepared to reconsider your ridiculous insistence that she attend the high school."

Misato's eyes narrowed. "Does the Commander still plan to have Rei attend?"

"That isn't your-"

"Yes it is, I'm the operations director and the pilots are my direct subordinates. You're not telling me something."

"Fortunately," said Yoshida, skipping the subject, "the MAGI system was anticipating an influx of photographs and censored them all. This so-called Superman was there. He _intervened._"

"You mean he saved her life."

"That's one way of looking at it."

"I want every available agent on the school. Did you secure her?"

"Done and done," said Yoshida, standing. "On my authority. I don't take orders from you. You're a slob, Katusragi."

Misato stiffened. "Will there be anything else, Section Chief?"

"Yes. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is here to see you."

Misato blinked. "What?"

Yoshida stomped out of the room with a smug grin plastered across his face, brushing her aside. Misato was barely able to contain the coffee slurping over the side of her mug, and yelped as it stung her fingers. She hurriedly put the cup down on a random stack of papers to soak up the spill, then cleaned her hand of on yet another sheet, and ended up smearing her hand with ink. She set about furiously trying to make the random pile of papers on her desk look somewhat presentable when the nominal leader of the free world walked into her office. Misato stiffened, and then bowed.

"Madam Secretary."

The Secretary-General of the United Nations was a short, prim, elderly woman in a conservative suit, whose steel gray hair was tightly drawn into a bun, pulling her tanned face tight into a perpetual expression of shock. Misato swallowed. The woman hadn't travelled far, as the new seat of the UN was in the capital, Tokyo-2; New York was destroyed in Second Impact. Despite this, Secretary Nakashima was scowling in annoyance, and Misato felt as if she were being reproached by her grandmother.

"You are apparently the highest ranking officer of this organization who will speak to me."

"Um," said Misato. "The Commander is very busy, and-"

"So I'm told," said the Secretary. "As is the Sub-Commander. Too busy to see me for the last week, it seems. Hopefully I can get the information I need from you."

Misato locked her face into her best professional smile. "I hope I can be of service."

The Secretary-General's eyes narrowed, and she paced around Misato's desk, as if performing an inspection. She lifted up a few stacks of papers, glancing at the numbers and graphs. Misato coughed. "That material is-"

"Classified, I know. I'm aware my authority is window dressing for the Human Instrumentality Committee, Captain. There's no need to rub it in my face. I have a Security Council breathing down my neck, demanding answers. The Americans think you're developing some kind of super-soldier program using Evangelion technology."

Misato dumped a pile of papers from a side chair and offered to her. She dismissed it with a wave, and folded her arms.

"Well?"

"The truth," said Misato, "is that we are-"

"Spare me. What exactly is your function here, Captain?"

"I'm the Operations Director."

"That doesn't help me."

"I direct combat operations, oversee combat readiness, see to the health and welfare of the pilots. May I be frank?"

"Go ahead."

Misato shrugged. "We don't know who he is, where he comes from, or what his capabilities are. He just showed up, and no one here had any idea he was coming. We have some theories about how he can fly and manipulate huge weights, but they're all based in what we know about the angels, which is really just guesswork."

"I see," said the Secretary-General. "Speaking of the health and welfare of your pilots. I heard what that man was talking to you about. Is there anything we can do? I can pass your concerns to the Japanese government, if you like?"

Misato shook her head. "Our own internal security will handle it, but thank you."

"I see. If you do discover something-"

"We'll disseminate any important information through appropriate channels."

"I suppose that's the best you can do. Goodbye, Captain."

* * *

><p>Shinji tried his best to look as though he weren't looking in every direction at once, which he was. He craned his neck and stood on tip-toe to look over Asuka's head as they stepped out of the Nerv staff car, looking everywhere at once and through everything at once. There was nothing that looked threatening in the immediate area, and more men in black suits and sunglasses had already swarmed around the school. Speaking of swarms, there was a gaggle of students watching him- no, they were watching Asuka as she clenched her teeth and walked up the front steps to the school. Shinji sprinted up to her side, taking the steps two at a time.<p>

"You don't have to do this."

She rounded on him. "Do what?"

He lowered his voice. "Go to school. If we call Misato she'll-"

"I am not calling for help," Asuka hissed. "I am going to school."

"I thought you didn't want-"

"That," she snapped, "is not the point."

He sighed. "I just… if you wanted to go home after what happened, I think she'd understand."

She poked his collarbone for emphasis. "I am _not_ going to run away, do you understand me? I am not going to run off and hide."

"I…" he trailed off. "Sorry."

She snorted, turned her nose up at him, and stomped into the school as if she were going to face a hostile beachhead. The students in front of the doors parted to let her pass, and he almost called after her, wanting to warn her about picking up the folder and laptop, but his mouth clicked closed and he said nothing. He shouldered his bag, shoved his hands in his pockets, and started after her. Almost immediately, Toji and Kensuke appeared, walking on either side of him.

Toji elbowed him. "Hey, Shin-man. You didn't tell us you were getting married."

Shinji groaned.

"Who is she?" said Kensuke. "Why did the Nerv goons drive her here?"

"I tell you what," said Toji. "She's great to look at, but she ain't got much for her personality. She always like that?"

"Her name is Asuka," said Shinji, "give her some room. Someone tried to shoot her this morning."

"Wait," said Kensuke. "_What?_"

"What do ya mean, tried?" said Toji.

"Superman stopped-" Shinji muttered, embarrassed to use that ridiculous name.

They both grabbed his arms and stopped him in his tracks. He started in surprise. "What?"

"You saw him?" said Toji.

"Did you get a picture?" Kensuke said, almost hungrily.

"What? Why-"

"Because," said Kensuke. "There's a reward! A huge reward! More money than I'd ever make selling…" he trailed off.

"Selling what?"

"Nothin," said Toji.

Shinji arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothin," Toji repeated.

"We better get to class," said Kensuke.

Confused, Shinji followed them into the school, down the hallway. The air was already charged with excitement. There was a new student, and she was a fire-haired abrasive foreigner, not meek Shinji. Asuka was already striding triumphantly into the classroom, hands on hips. Shinji broke from the boys and rushed to her side as she looked around.

"Who's in charge here?"

Horaki came up to her, clipboard in hand, nose turned up, hair pulled up into pigtails like a commanding general's vestments. "I am. Did you turn in your folder and get your laptop?"

"My what?" said Asuka. "Why do I need… whatever. Washout, go do that for me."

Shinji sighed, and turned to go.

"Wait right there," said Hikari. "In my class, we treat fellow students with respect."

Shinji waited for the inevitable explosion, but it never arrived. Asuka visibly tensed, but as her eyes narrowed it was in appraisal, not an impending torrent of verbal punishment. She nodded curtly. "So, that's how it is."

"Yes," said Hikari. "I run a tight ship."

"Fine," said Asuka. "I'll go… do whatever it was you said. Washout, you're with me."

Shinji glanced at Hikari and she shrugged. They still had time. He walked behind Asuka as she walked through the halls, swiveling her hips from side to side in an exaggerated fashion. Several pairs of male eyes were yanked violently from other subjects of attention and followed her down the hall towards the office. For some reason, it was Shinji's cheeks that heated, and he felt an a subtle anger crawling up the back of his neck, like the beginnings of a tension headache. He trotted up to walk next to her and stood a little taller, forgetting his slouch. She glanced at him but said nothing, her blue eyes opaque.

It dawned on him that seeing through walls was nice, but reading minds would be even better.

When they reached the office, she looked at him expectantly.

"What 'folder', anyway?"

He slid his bag from his shoulder and fished around inside until he had the folder in question, picked up from the table where Asuka had ignored it. He handed it to her and she, in turn, handed it over to the secretary. A moment later the old woman thrust a laptop out at her, and Shinji carried it without being asked. They walked in silence back to the classroom. The halls were mostly empty now, and he felt more at easy, still glancing here and there looking for anything dangerous. They made it back just as Hikari finished her stand-bow-sit routine.

"Would you like to introduce yourself to the class? I didn't get your name."

"Of course," Asuka said sweetly, grinning.

She carried her laptop towards the back of the room, stopped, thought better of it, and put it in a seat near Hikari's, at the front of the classroom. When he made it to his own seat and sat down, Asuka had written her full name in flowing English script across the entire chalkboard, heedless of the teacher's intention to use it. The doddering old man sort of stared at her in confusion, probably thinking in his senile haze that an ambulatory fireball had walked into the classroom and commanded everyone's attention.

"I am Asuka Langley-Soryu," she announced in ringing tones. "The pilot of Evangelion Unit One."

Shinji almost dropped his own computer as he fumbled to pull it from his bag. Everything happened at once. Kensuke's heartrate tripled. A dragonfly buzzed past the open windows. Toji shot to his feet, shouting something that was drowned in the din of a chorus of similar questions, and he raised his voice, stepping up onto the chair of his desk. He waved his hands for attention, and Shinji could practically feel him drawing in a breath. He shouted so loudly it startled even Shinji, and the entire room turned to him.

"Do you know Superman?" he bellowed.

Shinji winced. The look on Asuka's face was somewhere between shock and incoherent rage. He could see her reddening already, her mouth drawn into a thin line. She got control of herself quickly, and stood stone still, blue eyes like ice chips focused on Toji. He slunk back down into his seat, squirming, and Shinji almost admired how she forced him down with her gaze alone. The room had suddenly gone quiet.

"Well," Hikari said awkwardly, "Welcome."

Asuka nodded primly and took her seat, folding her legs under the desk. She started setting up her laptop, and Shinji let out a long-held breath of relief. He kept scanning the windows, suddenly feeling more exposed than he could remember in a long time. Kensuke shook him out of it when he leaned over to him.

"Turn on your laptop and get in the chat!"

Wearily, Shinji complied, only to be greeted by a blinking message from Kensuke.

"Is she really an Eva pilot?"

Shinji sighed. "Yes. She really is. I don't think we're supposed to talk about it."

Toji's blinking icon came up. "Why is she such a bitch?"

Shinji shot him an angry glare. "She isn't. I told you she's not having a good day."

"Yeah." Toji typed.

The two boys left their private chat and logged into the general room, and Shinji followed. The screen was flowing so rapidly with questions Asuka couldn't answer them all. He glanced up and saw her furiously typing, her shoulders hunched in concentration, blazing eyes reflected on her screen. She almost looked happy, and yet there was a distant look in her expression, like she was putting it all on. She sat back and whispered to Hikari.

"Are they always like this with newcomers?"

"Well," Hikari whispered back, "you're a little unique, aren't you?"

Asuka grinned. Shinji almost felt relieved, and a tad ashamed for listening in on their conversation. Hearing everything around him was so natural, so ordinary that he thought little of it. He purposely focused on the general buzz of conversation in the room, letting the sounds mingle together into a general background drone. As he let his mind wander, he heard a curious sound, a sort of buzzing that flowed under the conversation. He sat bolt upright as the sound grew and flared out into a thin cry, and with a start he realized no one else in the room could hear it.

An instant later, the evacuation alarm sounded.

* * *

><p>Asuka jumped up in a panic, slamming the lid of her laptop closed with a meaty thump. The Horaki girl stared at her in stunned shock, but quickly shook herself out of it and started shouting orders. Asuka ignored her and sprinted from the room, aching knees stinging her at every step. To her surprise, Shinji was behind her, somehow appearing the moment her attention was focused elsewhere, his backpack bouncing as he carried it, slung over his back. He kept pace with her easily, long strides matching hers step for step. A pair of Section 2 agents were waiting for them –no, for <em>her—<em> at the front door of the school. Misato's car was parked outside, and the woman herself was limping up the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" Asuka demanded.

"I heard what happened, and I came to check on you. I'll drive you in."

"Whatever," said Asuka. "Come on."

Shinji started to follow, and Misato put a hand on his shoulder. "Stay here. Get in the shelter with everyone else."

"But-"

"You heard me."

Asuka took the stairs two at a time, and was then forced to watch Misato limp to the car and slide in. The two agents ran for the staff car pulling up behind them, ignoring Shinji as he ran off, not back into the school but along the outer wall, ducking under the windows. Asuka craned her neck to follow his movement, confused, until he vanished around a corner. Where the hell was he going?

She didn't have time to give voice to her thoughts. Misato slammed the car into gear and growled at the anemic whine the engine offered when she shoved her foot down to the floor. The lumbering staff limousine kept pace easily as she made a half-hearted attempt at a sharp turn out of the parking lot. Misato was wrining what little performance out of the ugly hatchback she could, gritting her teeth as she concentrated. Asuka felt like she was floating. Her awareness of Misato's insane maneuvers was only information, a background sensation washed over by a wave of anticipation. This was it. It was finally real. She was going to fight an angel, for real. Her hands were shaking.

"Are you alright?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No," Misato said, thinly.

"I can do this."

"I know," Misato said calmly, grimacing as she was forced to slow to take a turn.

Finally, the alarm still droning in Asuka's ears, she closed her eyes as Misato pulled the car into the tram elevator that would carry them down into the Geofront. Relieved of the duty of driving, Misato could devote all of her attention to Asuka.

"Really, are you okay? I was going to pull you out of school…"

"I said, I'm _fine._"

Misato chewed her lip. "When Rei is ready for duty, I could arrange some downtime for-"

"Will you stop _mothering me?"_ Asuka snapped.

"Sorry," Misato whispered.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence.

* * *

><p>Toji knew he was in trouble when Kensuke grabbed his arm.<p>

"Hey!"

"What?"

They were moving with the press of students to work their way into the shelter. The big metal doors yawned open at the rear of the school, leading under the hillside behind it. While they ran to gain access, the students slowed into a shuffling throng as they actually approached the doors. Hikari had turned into yet another hovering class representative, furiously ticking off names from her clipboard as she took attendance, walking around on her tip-toes to see over the boys' heads. Kensuke maneuvered Toji towards her.

"Ask her."

"What?"

"Tell her we need to go the bathroom."

"We? What, are you gonna hold it for me?"

"We need to get outside! The picture!"

"What picture?"

Kensuke shook his head. "Superman! He'll be out there! If we get a picture-"

Toji snorted "What's this 'we' shit?"

"I guess you don't want any of the money. Or fame. Just ask her. She likes you."

"She does not."

Kensuke gave him a mild shove, and he resentfully started working his way towards Hikari, muttering that he couldn't believe he was doing this. He made it close enough to shout at her.

"Hey! Class Rep!"

"Toji? I already marked-"

"We gotta use the bathroom!"

"What, now? Wait, we?"

"Really bad!"

She looked around in a panic. "Just hurry up, they're closing the shelter in a minute!"

Kensuke grinned, checked the settings on his camera, and darted off. Toji ruefully followed. They got a few looks as they maneuvered through the crowd, but no one actually objected. In a moment, they were outside. The evacuation alarm began to wind down, going from a steady drone to a petulant whine and then a low hum before petering out completely. Once it was gone, it left an eerie, almost heavy silence in its wake. The normal background noise of people, of human habitation, was gone, and Toji noticed its absence. It made him nervous, while it appeared to make Kensuke excited.

Until they saw the _thing_.

It was too big, too big just to be, and moved without apparent means of locomotion, snaking low along the horizon. The movement was unnatural, too fast and yet too slow. It looked like a blend of serpent and insect, its long exoskeleton body carrying a dangling, writing mass of spindly legs with too many joints, waving feebly at the air. The forward lengths of its great body resembled a battering ram, and hanging from it, curled on themselves, were glowing filaments, like the after-effects of a lightbulb just turned off. It made a strange almost-sound that Toji could feel more than hear, and it turned his stomach. He could see Kensuke starting to sweat.

"We should go back inside."

Kensuke ignored him, instead raising his camera. He clicked off the first short.

"Any minute," he whispered.

There was another alarm, higher, louder, more concentrated, from nearby. The creature reacted to it immediately, bending itself to change course. As Toji watched it he realized how huge it was, so much that it seemed closer than it actually was. One of the great slab-sided blocks of concrete and steel plate shielding that rose up when the city went into battle configuration stood in front of it, and rather than deigning to go around it, the creature reached out with its lashing light-whips and bisected it neatly, sending tumbling pieces gliding slowly to earth in a great gout of dust.

With a sound like twin gunshots, a pair of rails rocketed up out of the ground, followed a moment later by the robot, the Evangelion. It looked odd, with parts of its face and arm covered in unpainted, primer-gray plates that must have been repairs from the last battle. Unlike last time, as soon as it snapped into towering position, it ducked away from the exit point where it emerged and moved with a clinical, practiced efficiency, almost like a dancer. The grace and ease of its movements betrayed its size and made it seem unreal, unnatural, like a puppet.

Kensuke continued to snap pictures.

The Evangelion circled around the angel, which came to a slow, drifting hover, and they watched each other for the barest instant, sizing one another up. The Evangelion pulled a gigantic rifle out of a nearby building, aimed it, and opened fire. The shells hit the angel before the sound reached them, washing over Toji and Kensuke in a wave that made them stagger backwards. Kensuke said something in complaint over a ruined picture, but the sound was lost in the greater din. The shells exploded on the creature and it screamed, curling on itself, its cry unearthly and inhuman. Toji covered his ears. A cloud of black smoke enveloped it, and the two boys ended up standing stone-silent in the soundless void that came after.

"That's it?" said Kensuke.

Silent, and with purpose, the angel rocketed out of the cloud, the thick carapace of its back dented and cratered by the explosions. It rammed the Evangelion head-first, ripping the rifle away with its whips. The gun split, the mechanical innards of it falling out as it slid apart in two unbelievably cleanly cut pieces and crashed to earth with a great roar. Pushed back, the Evangelion slammed through one of the shield-walls, crumbling it, and onto its back. It rolled, almost got caught up in the umbilicus that trailed behind it, and reached up to grasp something unfolding from its shoulder-pylon. It became a knife.

"Uh," said Toji. "They're, uh, they're coming this way."

"One clear shot," said Kensuke, snapping more pictures.

The Evangelion circled around, and Toji breathed out, and then around again, and he breathed in. He put his hand on Kensuke's shoulder and started to pull him. The Evangelion charged, knife blade raised high, and plunged it into the creature's side. It wailed again, corded its whips around the robot's arms, and twisted. Toji whimpered, trying to comprehend over his mind's refusal to accept that something so big was moving so fast. The Evangelion pulled up off its feet and was thrust skyward, higher and higher, propelled by the angel's fury. A great shadow passed over them as it crossed the sun. Toji realized he was shouting. Kensuke was finally moving. The shadow slid past, crested the hillside, and vanished. A moment later the Evangelion came to earth, smashing the top of the hill like a child falling backwards onto a sandcastle. Toji looked up and saw a metal hand ten feet wide swinging down onto his head.

He grabbed Kensuke and, out of pure, futile instinct, curled the other boy around as if to shield him from the blow. The wind of the hand's fall brushed over his back, whipping his shirt, and he felt a cold, absolute insistence that his time was at an end. He closed his eyes. He took a breath, two, three, and fell on his rear end in the mud. He opened his eyes and looked up.

Superman was holding the hand over their heads. He didn't even strain.

"You again?"

Toji blinked.

"You should be inside, where it's safe. I wouldn't want that little sister of yours to lose her older brother."

"Y-yeah…" Toji stammered, "Yes, sir. Sorry."

"Go on, go. I'll take it from here."

Superman bounced on his heels, and pushed. The hand flopped up and then came down a few yards away, gouging a deep furrow in the earth, raising the smell of turned dirt and mud. Toji stood up and grabbed at Kensuke's shoulder, but the other boy was laughing, laughing so hard he looked like he would cry.

"I got it!"

* * *

><p>No.<p>

It was not going to win.

It was not going to beat her.

Misato was shouting something, ordering her to retreat. Asuka shouted something back, and wasn't sure if she'd formed words or was just snarling incoherently. She was going to kill this thing and she was going to win. She was an Evangelion pilot, the only one in the world. She was going to defeat the enemy and succeed. She was going to be good enough.

She was going to be good enough!

The angel came at her and she barely had time to swing the Eva's arms around and push herself to her feet. Unit One's interface was slower and clumsier than she was used to, its movements less precise and controlled than her Eva, as if she was trying to run underwater. The angel lashed out and cut flaming slices through the dirt beside her as the ponderously moved the machine away from where she lay. It seemed almost too easy, and she grinned. It was just a big bug. It missed her.

She heard a ringing chime and realized it hadn't missed. The battery timer appeared next to her head. The angel capitalized on the distraction, looped its coils around her leg. She felt a sudden sharp burning, lines of heat drawn around her calf as it pulled her feet out from under her, turned its entire body to torque the whips around, and hurled her back into the city. She was suddenly weightless, for the barest instant before she crashed through another shield wall and dug a furrow in the street. She felt someone's car crush under her palm as she stood up, and sprinted at the angel. As she moved she saw the battery drain faster from the strain, the timer suddenly skipping numbers as a young child skips stairs. She ignored it. She was going to have to end it, now, or she would be defenseless, unable to raise her protective field.

She ran through the angel's whips, feeling the white-hot wires racing along her chest and face as she pushed through, and caught it in a bear hug. She managed to drag it to the earth, mount it, and drive her Eva's knees into its belly. It cried out and grew frantic, whips lashing out wildly. She pushed it down, gouging her fingers into it, and she felt her stomach turn as the sensation of the Eva's fingers prying into cold, soft flesh from the thing's underbelly seeped into her hands. She realized she was wasting time, the core was there and she could see it, glowing red and gleaming beneath a thin membrane of tissue. One hand pushing it down, she used the other to grasp and pull back the flesh until the core was exposed, and raised her fist to pound on it.

She heard a thump, practically felt circuits opening. The sensation of synchronization, of piloting itself, fled from her, and she was suddenly floating half-limp in a cold amniotic void, just a bare inch above the seat in the plug. The timer read zero, and the auxiliary power gave her just enough energy to see and hear as the angel shoved her back. Limp, the Evangelion rolled onto its back, and the angel curled its whips around the Eva's body. She could no longer feel it, but she could actually smell it burning, and heard the crack as the whips tightened around the neck armor. It was trying to cut the Eva's head off, to exposed the entry plug. It was coming after her.

Not like this. Not like this, please, not like this.

Her hands were on the control yokes, and though they were gloved she knew her knuckles were white from the strain of her grip. She tugged at them feebly, a wave of childish indignation rising from her that the machine dared not respond, even absent the vital power it needed to move. She felt a burning in her eyes and bit her lip, and a gurgled cry of anguish wracked her.

"Not like this!"

There was a sound, then, a strange thing that shocked her from her fury and sent her falling back into the seat. Two heartbeats, thump-thump, like rolling thunder. For a moment she felt the twinge of almost-synch, but the sensation faded. She almost didn't realize what was happening. He was there, outside, standing on the Eva's neck, pulling at the white hot wire-whips. Him. Superman, again.

Her auxiliary power was almost out. She watched him tug, frantically, at the glowing lines. He stopped and stared at the palms of his hands, then redoubled his effort, pulling at the whips again. As the power died and the plug went dark, she could swear she saw him take it in his teeth.

* * *

><p>"I must be crazy," Shinji stammered.<p>

The whip-things, they _hurt_, they left his hands feeling raw, in a way he only dimly remembered from his youth. He didn't have much time. He took the first light-whip and pulled it tighter than it already was, pulled with all his might as he grasped it, tensed his back, and spread out his chest. When it would stretch no more, he leaned into it, put his teeth on it, and bit down.

It tasted like hell.

His mouth went numb, but it worked. There was a suddenly, joyous release of tension as the whip broke. It pulled back with a great cracking sound, and the segment left attached to Unit One instantly cooled, smoldering and smoking, cracking from the uneven change in its temperature. The other whip slid free, the tension released, and came at him. He dodged, forced to lift off from the Eva's chest as it tried to curl around him. The angel's vast attention turned to him, and he took off, drawing it away. It left Unit One lying in the crater it had made, and gave chase.

He was smaller, and faster. He had to use that. He turned in midair, sharp enough that the most maneuverable of fighter jets could snap in half, and the angel couldn't make the turn. He skirted between its still-functioning whip and the stump of the other and flew towards the glowing red sphere Asuka had exposed, already growing over with new flesh. He put both of his fists out, put his head down, and moved as fast as he could, willing himself to greater and greater speeds. He felt the air coalesce and compress around him, and there was a sudden thunderous boom followed by absolute, cloying silence. He'd broken the sound barrier.

He hit the angel.

It rolled back from the space it occupied, curling around in the impact. He felt his hands plunge into the red sphere to the wrists, and a great crack opened in it. He pulled his hands out, put his palms on it, and pushed. The angel's body spasmed, and it rolled over onto its back, and came crashing to the ground. He wedged his fingers into the already closing imperfection in the sphere, feeling it compress around his grip, the edges razor-sharp. Before it could close he pulled, and there was a horrid, churning breaking sound. The thing cried out almost pitiably, its scream on every frequency at once, rattling his teeth. The core came apart with a series of tearing pops, cracked neatly in half. The moment the pieces were separated, it went dark, coal black, and the angel was silenced.

He stood on it for a moment, panting. It relaxed under him, seemed to soften, and rolled onto its side, dead. He lifted up to avoid being carried with it, and stood on nothing for a moment, stunned at what he'd done. A single thought jerked him from his reverie.

Asuka.

He raced to the Eva's side, and fumbled along the back of its neck. When he couldn't find the hatch for the entry plug, he put his hands under it and rolled the Eva onto its side in a single motion. Somehow, the last time he'd done this, he'd missed the emergency ejection switch. It was buried under the heavy plate that shielded the plug, a handle that had to be turned and pulled to relieve the pressure and eject the plug. He turned it and yanked, unintentionally pulling it completely free, wires and bits of metal trailing after it. The plug came loose in a single hissing motion, ramming sideways from the Eva's neck. He clambered up the side, pulled the hatch free, and pushed through the sluice of link control liquid that came rushing out.

He almost said Asuka, but instead said, "Miss? Are you-"

Her crimson nerve clips clattered against his chest.

"Get out!" she screamed, rising from the seat, hands balled into fists. "Leave me alone!"

"I-"

"_Out!"_

He blinked, and then fled, racing out of the plug and into the sky. His hand's didn't hurt anymore, but he felt a sting all the same.

* * *

><p>When Misato arrived, thankfully driven in a staff car this time, Asuka was sitting next to Unit One, her forearms resting on her knees, drawn up to her chest. She looked away, her eyes unfocused and distant. Misato walked over to her slowly and, wincing, sat down in the rubble beside her. Asuka didn't look up or acknowledge her, and so she just waited. A medical team rushed towards them, and Misato waved them off with a hand. She resisted the urge to throw her arm around the girl, knowing better than that from hard-earned experience. Instead, she sat until Asuka's breathing slowed, and she started stealing glances at Misato from the corner of her eye.<p>

"Let's go home."

"No."

Misato blinked. "What?"

"I want to use the simulator."

"But-"

"Now," Asuka growled.

"Asuka," said Misato, "You can't hold this against yourself-"

"I'm not!" she screeched, spinning on her heels to face Misato. "I was winning, and that showboating glory-hound stole it from me!_"_

Misato wearily stood up. She knew when the girl was likely to surrender and when she was not. Right now, Asuka needed to be humored. Misato would shield her the best she could, but the truth was she failed, and was nearly killed. Misato's own career was up for grabs, and if another angel attacked before Unit One could be repaired, it might not matter. She said none of these things as she took the towel one of the medics offered and put it around Asuka's shoulders, to warm her and to wipe some of the gunk off of her.

Shinji came trotting up, and wisely averted his eyes from Asuka's plugsuit-clad form. Misato was stunned to see her cover herself with the towel as if she were naked, rather than her usual brazen defiance of the suit's body-hugging indecency. She shuffled along next to Misato as Shinji reached them, pointedly staring at her feet as though he were averting his eyes from royalty.

"I came as fast as I could, they just let us out of-"

"Young man," said Misato. "I told you to stay put."

"I did!"

Misato couldn't help but smirk.

"We're setting up a field command center here while we put up a perimeter around that thing," Misato gestured at the looming corpse of the angel, "There's a fresh set of clothes in the back of the car. Will you go get it?"

The command unit, a heavily modified RV, came rolling up, and as it disgorged a group of agents, Misato led Asuka inside. Having cleared the interior, she helped Asuka peel off the wet plugsuit and step into the shower. Shinji was standing outside, his back deliberately turned from the _entire vehicle_, holding Asuka's clothes in his hands. Misato limped around to his side and took them from him.

"You can go home, if you want. I think we're going to be a while."

Shinji shrugged. "School's out. I don't have much to do. I can help out."

"You're not really supposed to be here."

He shrugged and his shoulders slumped a little.

"Go get a box of chocolate. I used to buy Asuka a box of chocolates when she was having a bad day."

"What kind?"

"Oh," said Misato, "there was this little shop she liked, Fausbender and Rausch. It doesn't matter, you can't get that stuff here. Just find something."

He nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

As he trotted off, Misato dropped off Asuka's change of clothes, and came back outside. She could hear construction vehicles pulling up, and reflected on the strangeness of dissecting an alien monster with a backhoe. It was probably best not to think about it. She spotted Ritsuko, fiddling with some piece of the Evangelion. It was a canister with a grip handle on one end, striped with black and yellow for caution. Ritsuko swabbed something from the grip with a cotton swab and slipped it into a little canister, and then pocketed it.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Ritsuko said brightly. "How is she?"

"Like you'd expect."

"Ouch."

"We're going to be running some simulations later. You in?"

"I'll need coffee."

"Yeah," said Misato. "Join the club."

* * *

><p>Gendo Ikari hunched over his desk and stared down Yoshida as he placed a camera on the broad expanse of his desk. He flicked his gaze from the camera to Yoshida and back again, and waited in silence for the explanation.<p>

"Some kind got a clear picture near the school. I had the camera confiscated. It's contained."

"Excellent."

There was a buzz and the office door opened. Akagi came in, nervously palming a small cylinder in her right hand. Yoshida gave Gendo a knowing look and left without further comment, having delivered his report on the day's events. Ritsuko waited for him to leave and then gently set the container on his desk. It took every ounce of his concentration not to snatch it from her. He considered it, so small, with a screw on lid like any pill bottle. He could see the swab inside, leaning against the wall.

"Begin extracting it immediately."

She nodded, and turned to leave without comment.

"When you are finished, be in your apartment."

She shuddered, try as she might to repress it, and a thin smile crept across his face. He waited until she had departed to flick the switch that remotely locked his door. A circle of light appeared around him and his desk, and he waited patiently as it began to blink off-white, waiting for the connection to be made. It turned blue, and a shimmering, transparent image of Keel appeared in front of him, at the other end of an illusory conference table.

"Well?"

"Yes," Gendo said, a bit of hunger edging into his voice.

"Excellent. Has he taken the bait?"

"More than taken it. The hook is set. The Second has found a use."

"I see. I will call off the next attack, then. In all likelihood, her incompetence would have done the job for us, anyway."

"Indeed," said Gendo.

"You will of course send us samples of the material for the hybrid project."

"Of course. Akagi is preparing it for you now."

"Very good," said Keel, and then he vanished.

* * *

><p>Misato should have felt some relief that Asuka had fallen asleep in the car. It meant a brief reprieve from her glares. The girl's head was resting on the window, and she was snoring lightly. Misato almost thought it funny, and would have been smirking but for the butterflies in her stomach. A bad thing had happened today, and it was weighing on her. When she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, swarming as it was with Section 2 agents, she felt ill-at-ease. Thankfully, Asuka woke up on her own.<p>

"What?" she said, dully.

"We're home. Come on."

Silently, Asuka got up and shuffled along beside her. Ten hours in the simulator after the day's stresses had wiped her out. Surprisingly, her scores and performance had improved ever so slightly as the night wore on, until fatigue took its toll. Misato helped her up the stairs and for once, she didn't snap at the presumption. When they arrived in the apartment proper, Asuka ignored the kitchen and wobbled straight into her room. As she rolled, still in her clothes, onto her sleeping mat, Misato knelt down beside her and unplugged her alarm clock.

Shinji was in the kitchen.

"I turned off her alarm. Let her sleep in tomorrow. Will you pick up her schoolwork?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Want something to eat?"

"No," Misato sighed. "Just a beer."

Shinji eye her warily as she went to the fridge, took out a can of beer, and cracked it open. Her eyes fell on the box on the table. She blinked. Fausbender and Rausch.

"Shinji," she said between pulls on her beer, "Where did you get that?"

He adjusted his glasses. "I am in reality Superman. I flew to Germany, bought Asuka a box of chocolates, and flew back just in time to sneak in here before anyone saw me."

Misato eyed him. She did her best to keep her lips tightly pressed together, but the laugh escaped anyway, and she almost dropped her beer can. Shinji smirked.

"You'd better watch that," Misato sighed. "I don't think Asuka wants to hear the S-word anytime soon."

"If you say so," said Shinji, a little gloomily.

"You should get to bed. I didn't say you could have the day off."

Shinji shrugged, and left her alone in the kitchen.

* * *

><p>You have been reading<p>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter Five: One Clear Shot_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Rei felt a peculiar feeling, perhaps something in between anticipation and apprehension. She was leaving the Nerv infirmary; the nurses spoke of her going home, although she would not use that term. The apartment she occupied was not her home. She dressed herself in her school uniform while the two agents that would drive her back waited outside. The choice of the uniform was not meaningful. If anything, it was random. She had only school uniforms to wear and mixed and matched the different shirts and jumpers, although for her purposes today she did not tie a ribbon around her throat, but left the top two buttons of her shirt open. From identical parts a unique, cohesive whole formed, only to be discarded when it was no longer necessary. In that way, her clothing suited her.<p>

Once she was dressed, she carefully applied the unnecessary medical eyepatch and warpped the superfluous bandages around her head, and meticulously adjusted the false cast she was forced to wear until it was just right. Another week of this farce, so that everyone could see her 'injuries' and understand why she had disappeared and was not piloting, and she would be free of it. She affected a mild limp as she walked out of the lonely, empty hospital room, still smelling of the stale flowers only just recently removed from the wastebasket.

"You will take me to my apartment," she said without looking at the agents. They didn't look at her.

As she rode in the Nerv car to her apartment block, she stared out the window with her exposed eye, ignoring the mild almost-headache that quickly came with the loss of depth perception. She watched people moving through the world, families out for weekend shopping excursions and time spent together. They were as alien to her as she to them, and her understanding of their activities was a clinical analysis, information now ghosted over in her mind, the result of study performed by someone else. It interested her little. She went into the hospital empty-handed, naked as she was born in the tank in the depths of Nerv, and emerged with a heavy binder under her arm. Information. Information about Superman. The weight of it under her free arm was a comfort, the fare that satisfied a sudden, hungry impulse. There was something she was supposed to learn about this creature, even though she had no idea what.

The city was familiar to her, but in a hazy, indistinct way. She had walked these streets, navigated the alleyways and boulevards between her quarters and the school, but at the same time she hadn't. The knowledge was intimate familiar and simultaneously distant, information related to her by a distant relative, despite the vivid detail. It seemed flat, a projection on the window of the car that obscured a deeper, more relevant truth.

The agents stopped at the door to her apartment block. She had the entire structure to herself and she knew they slept in nearby apartments in shifts on cots, but none of them ever approached her or paid much attention to her except to ensure that everyone else did the same. When she was out of sight she stopped limping and walked briskly to her quarters. Again, she felt a hazy un-familiarity, as if floating, walking a path trod by someone else according to their directions. She had never touched the door before, but the texture was familiar to her, the pitted surface and faded, flaking paint known to her fingers. She knew it would swing inwards silently, the knob not only unlocked but broken. It was not necessary.

It was cool in the apartment. The room was shaded by the dirty, once white and now cream colored curtains that obscured the morning sun. Everything was as she, no, as the second one left it. The only change was that someone, probably Akagi as the Commander would not do it himself and would trust someone else, had refilled and arranged the various medications she needed to keep her body from rejecting itself. In the hospital it had all been delivered intravenously. She would have to go back to taking pills. Go back to doing something she had never done before.

It was not yet time. The last dose would last her for hours, perhaps days. She had a pile of papers collected from the school and piled in the task chair sitting in front of her desk, but she brushed them off and let them fall to the floor with a meaty splat. She fished around in her desk until she found a plastic box of push pins and put them on the tabletop. On the bed, she opened the binder, pulled the first page of newspaper clippings free, and seemingly at random, chose a spot to pin it to the bare wall. She continued selecting pages and, letting the aesthetic principle of it guide her, pinned page after page to the wall until the binder was empty. She stared at it, seeing the hint of a pattern yet to reveal itself. He fingers twitched. There was something missing. It was not yet complete.

She walked out of the apartment. The agent at the front step tried to stop her, and haltingly put a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Ayanami, where-"

"I need a computer."

The man stared at her through his sunglasses and she stared back. His gaze broke first.

* * *

><p>Asuka made Hikari a little nervous, but she couldn't quite say why. It may have been the small crowd of obvious out of place security people that followed them as they walked along downtown, ambling between the shops. Tokyo-3 was a weird place, all sculptured retro-future, everything either sweeping curves or heavy, brutalist regularity, and the cloud of men in suits, despite the heat, made it feel like the setting of dystopian future science fiction. Hikari's older sister Kodama had once remarked that the Nerv men reminded her of some movie called the Matrix; she also said it was a shame they never made sequels. She tried not to look at the agents, and after a while, it became more natural to ignore them. They really did blend into the background.<p>

Asuka was a cypher to her. She was so energetic, but seemed so morose and snippy. For whatever reason, she was kinder to Hikari than almost everyone else, including shop keepers, the agents charged with protecting her, and the public at large. At the same time, she showered Hikari with affection, already having bought her so many cosmetics and bottles of shampoo they could barely carry it all between the two of them.

"Why is it always so hot here?" Asuka mused, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

Even sweaty, she was enviable. She had on a green dress that probably cost more than Hikari's entire wardrobe, and a string of pearls that probably cost a month's salary. She believed without hesitation that Asuka really did pilot the giant robot, especially after some of the students had seen her picked up by the Katsuragi woman, Shinji's guardian. It made sense; Katsuragi was a big deal at Nerv according to Kensuke.

Hikari shrugged. "It's always summer, because of Second Impact. It isn't like this back home?"

"In Berlin," said Asuka, "It's always springtime. Never too hot, only too cold at night. Perfect. It's a shame they make us live here."

"Why?"

Asuka shrugged, rolling her bare shoulders. Hikari was always surprised by how muscular she was. It only seemed to stand out when she flexed.

"In Berlin, everything is history. There are buildings that are hundreds of years old."

"Japan is like that, too," Hikari said.

"I know, I know. But they built this place, just made it up. There's nothing here."

"It was all destroyed in Second Impact," said Hikari.

"Yeah," said Asuka. "I'm getting tired of carrying this stuff."

"There's an arcade over there," Hikari gestured up the street with her chin.

"Ha," said Asuka, "It wouldn't be fair. No one can beat me at video games."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

The pair turned and headed toward the arcade, and Hikari was immediately relieved to be out of the sun. It made the freckles come out on her cheeks, and the heat without shade was too intense even in the morning. Asuka fared surprisingly well in the freckle department, with only a few showing up under her eyes and along the back of her shoulders. Once they were under the canopy, the relief from the heat was instantaneous. The arcade had huge fans blowing air under its roof, and it was almost dark inside, with only light from the machines and whatever trickled in from the sides. Asuka picked a machine, seemingly at random. It was some kind of fighting game. Asuka fished around in her purse and pulled out a handful of coins, and motioned for Hikari to join her.

It was a disaster. She picked a fighter at random, because it was a girl. Asuka picked some kind of yellow ninja, and beat the tar out of her. The machine chided her with a "perfect victory" screen. The next round went much the same, and Hikari turned away from it.

"Let's find that dancing game, or-"

"No," said Asuka. "Come on, one more time. I'll go easier on you."

Hikari sighed. "Okay."

Asuka did go easier on her this time, fairly obviously letting her get in enough hits that she almost won before squashing her. She made no real move to teach her anything or evens said much during the matches. She was so intent on it that she nearly jumped when Toji called out to them from across the arcade.

"Horaki!"

He wasn't alone. He had Kensuke with him, of course, and Shinji Ikari, walking along behind them. He saw Asuka before the others did, and a curious look swept over his face, somewhere between anxiety and anticipation. She saw him tense a little bit, but also stand straighter. He could be quite tall if he tried, almost as tall as Toji. Hikari ignored him, though, smiling at Toji in spite of herself.

"Ugh," Asuka muttered, "here come the three stooges."

"The what?"

Asuka raised an eyebrow at her. "Three stooges?"

Hikari shrugged.

"Never mind," Asuka huffed.

"Whatcha doin'?" said Toji.

"We're playing a game. That's what you do in an arcade," Asuka muttered, rolling her eyes.

Toji snorted. "No, really."

Hikari sighed. Kensuke checked his watch, then slunk away, fingering the strap of the camera he wore around his neck. Shinji stepped alongside him, but didn't say anything, continuing to stare at the ground nervously, only to let his eyes slide up Asuka's legs before his gaze snapped back down. Hikari smiled.

"I'm not very good," said Hikari. "Why don't you try, Shinji?"

"What, me?"

"Nah," Toji shouldered him aside. "She needs a real challenge. We'll see how tough you are, Soryu."

Asuka's expression remained neutral. She put the coins in the machine, picked her character, and waited. Toji hunched over the controls, a look of intense concentration squeezing his fingers. Asuka remained neutral, leaning back slightly, her expression flat. The match started, and Toji's blue ninja immediately charged her, shouting and grunting as he started a special move. Asuka was even more brutal than she'd been before, avoiding his attack entirely only to land behind him and beat him mercilessly, pinning him in the corner of the screen. Barely thirty seconds had ticked off the timer before she had him beaten. The next round was mostly the same, except he managed to deny her a flawless victory screen by chipping a tiny sliver off her health bar.

"So," said Toji. "I guess you are pretty good, after all."

A thin smile slowly twisted Asuka's lips.

"Get her, Shinji."

Shinji fidgeted for a moment, then stepped up to the machine. He rested his hands on the controls, and waited while Asuka fed more change into the machine. Like Hikari, he chose a fighter seemingly at random, and the match started. Asuka pushed forward with all the intensity she'd shown before, and Shinji was quickly, roundly defeated. The timer started counting down to the next round, and something changed. Hikari saw him start peeking from the corner of his eye, glancing at Asuka's hands. He seemed to be watching her fingers as much as he was watching the screen, and when the match started he anticipated every movement she made, leaping over her as she unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks that made up her usual starting combo. His character dropped down behind her and started attacking. He hit the block button every time she managed to land a hit on him, and the rest of the time, her fighter was stunned or hitting empty air. The match went on longer than any yet, and at the end, Asuka had lost and Shinji still had half of his health bar left.

Asuka stared at the screen in stunned surprise. When the next match started, she leaned into it, jaw set, eyes fixed on the screen. Shinji's performance only improved. He jumped and ran around the screen, avoiding her attempts to pin him down, until an opportunity opened up, and then he took it. He started to whittle her health down bit by bit, just using the buttons and not any of the special moves- he obviously didn't know any of them. The more complicated Asuka's attack, the simpler his defense became. This time, when he landed the final blow, he had three quarters of his health bar left.

Asuka's hands fell to her sides. She turned her head slowly towards him.

"How did you do that?"

He shrugged. "Luck, I guess."

"No way," Asuka snapped. "No one is that fast. How did you-"

The rest of her demand was drowned out by a heavy rumbling sound. For a bare second, Hikari's heart nearly skipped. She thought it was the evacuation alarm, but it turned out to be an ordinary fire engine, rumbling along the street behind the arcade, siren blaring. As it passed, Shinji's eyes followed it. He fished in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, flipping up the lid with his finger.

"Whoops. Misato's calling me, she must need something for work."

Asuka blinked. "What?"

"Got to run, sorry."

With that, he turned and, with surprising speed, sprinted out of the arcade, leaving Hikari, Asuka, and Toji staring in his wake, dumbstruck.

"Huh," said Toji. "I got to get going ,too. I need to pick up my sister from the babysitter. It was nice seeing you, Horaki."

"Call me Hikari."

"Okay," he smiled, and then turned to leave. Kensuke was still missing.

"I should get going too," Hikari sighed. "I have to cook dinner for my family."

"Can I come?" Asuka said, quickly.

Hikari blinked. "I don't think that would be a good idea. They don't know you."

Asuka's shoulders slumped, ever so slightly, and she actually pouted. She brightened quickly, gesturing at one of the Nerv people.

"You," she growled, "get over here."

The agent tried his best to look as if he hadn't just taken an order from a teenage girl. Asuka pointed at the bags on the ground.

"Walk miss Horaki home. Carry her things."

"Umm…"

"Now," Asuka snapped.

* * *

><p>Asuka blithely strolled into the apartment, one bag of shampoo in her hand. Misato apparently considered it necessary to open the bottle of shampoo and dump half of it on her head when she washed her hair. In the week since she'd arrived in Tokyo-3, Misato had exhausted the entire supply of both shampoo and conditioner that Asuka had brought with her from Germany. That absolutely could not stand. Asuka put the new bag of bottles in her bedroom, carefully hidden beside her dresser. She looked down at the ridiculous bedroll she'd been sleeping on, glad that her new bed would be arriving in a few days. She was surprised to find Misato sitting in the kitchen in her damned underwear, as bold as you please, covered up only by a paper-thin yellow t-shirt.<p>

"Will you put on some pants," Asuka muttered, working her way the refrigerator. "It's indecent."

Misato snorted. "Since when did you become a prude, miss hotpants?"

Asuka slammed the door after pulling out a soda. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm surprised that you haven't given Shinji a heart attack."

"Bah," Asuka dismissed the boy with a wave of her hand. "All he can manage is staring at my feet. He's so housebroken it's pathetic."

"Oh," Misato said slyly, looking up from whatever she was working on at the table. "So you want him to be bold, then. Seize you around the waist and-"

"No!" Asuka snapped. "You are such a pervert, you know that?"

Misato looked at her blankly, her lips twitching as if she suppressed a smile, and then looked back down at the form she was filling out.

"What's that?" said Asuka.

"Work."

"So where is he, anyway?"

Misato arched an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Shinji. I ran into him at the arcade. He's probably stalking me."

"Uh-huh," said Misato. "The housebroken coward is stalking you."

Asuka took a sip of her soda. "Will you get your mind out of the gutter for a minute? I saw him and he pulled out his phone and said you called him in to work."

Misato blinked. "I've been here all day. I didn't call him."

Asuka turned the can in her hand. It tasted good, fruity, but she couldn't read the thing, though she pretended otherwise. Why did the Japanese insist on making their language incomprehensible? Speaking it was easy enough, but reading an endless collection of little houses and squiggles was damned near impossible.

"So where is he, then?"

Misato shrugged.

Asuka considered that for a moment, drowned her soda, and tossed the can into the recycling bin. She glanced at the microwave. It was not yet two o'clock, so he had to be out somewhere. She tapped her foot on the floor for a moment, tracing her finger under her chin.

"I'm going out."

"Okay," said Misato, "don't try to shake the small army of security goons."

"You don't sound very worried."

"I'm not," said Misato. "You'll be fine. I have an army trailing you, Asuka. You're not getting into any more trouble, believe me."

"I didn't get into anything," Asuka snapped. "Someone came after me."

"It won't happen again," Misato looked up. "I promise. Look, I'll change and go with you, if you want."

"No," said Asuka. "The army of suits following me will do just fine. You just sit there on your big butt and do whatever."

Misato laughed at her as she stalked out of the kitchen, shouldering her purse. She slipped into her shoes and darted down the stairs, only to be greeted by a pair of agents that shadowed her as she left the building. There'd probably be a damned helicopter after too long. She was used to it, by now. She'd always had a handful of minders in Berlin, a few more wasn't such a burden, and for the most part, they were well practiced at remaining invisible. She almost forgot they were there as she walked aimlessly towards the shopping district again, thoroughly bored.

Without quite knowing why, she gravitated back to the arcade. Challenging random teenagers to video games didn't strike her fancy, especially with big black-suited goons looming over her. Nevertheless, she wandered to it and through it, looking through the world around her with a sort of thousand yard stare. There was one thing she wasn't doing at all, which was looking for Shinji.

As she walked, her ears naturally picked out a key phrase- Evangelion Pilot. She listened, stopping in her tracks, and glanced around at her minders. They'd fanned out through the arcade. She ducked around behind a machine and then another, weaving between them, widening the gap as she listened.

"…Evangelion Pilot!" the voice called out again, and she drew nearer, pressing against a concrete wall.

Around the corner, just outside the arcade in a back alley, she saw the Aida boy, the short one with the glasses, standing on a small crate, next to his tall companion, Suzahara or whatever his name was. Again and again, he cried out.

"Sexy pictures of the Evangelion Pilot!"

The blood drained from Asuka's face. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw her security detail catching up to her. She was about to rush the two boys and the small crowd of teenagers, and, she noticed, a few grown men, when something quite unexpected happened. Shinji did the charging for her, barreling into the crowd, his head up, his shoulders back, standing proud and unstooped as he had that first morning when she saw him sneak back into the house in the wee hours before dawn. He easily pushed through the crowd, stepped up to the crate, and snatched the handful of printed pictures out of the Aida boy's hand.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Selling pictures!" said Aida.

Shinji balked, flipping through the pictures. "You… you took these without her permission."

"Duh," said Kensuke. "Look, those Nerv goons took my pictures of Superman, and I need some cash-"

Shinji looked at one picture and yelped, actually cried out. "You were pointing the camera up her dress! Where did you get these?"

The crowd was milling around, now. A grown man put a hand on Shinji's shoulder.

"I already paid."

Shinji turned to him, and slowly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Kensuke, give them their money back."

"What?" the boy said quietly. "But Shinji-"

"Dude," said Toji.

"I paid," the man repeated.

Shinji slowly crumpled the pictures in his hands, twisted them into a tight ball, and let his hands fall to his sides. When he stood to his full height, he matched the dumpy salaryman inch for inch, and continued to stare him down.

The older man drew back, balled his hand into a fist, and threw a punch.

Shinji barely flinched. His hand was just there, appearing in front of his face as if it had just materialized there. The incoming fist met his palm with a wet slap, like cracking celery, and the man yelped. Shinji closed his fingers around the man's fist and held it there as he tried, feebly, to pull away.

"Kensuke," Shinji said quietly.

Slowly, the assembled crowd started handing back the pictures as Kensuke fished out the fistful of bills he'd already collected and returned them. Kensuke edged around Shinji to give back the money to the man who'd thrown the punch, and Shinji released him. He clasped his hands together, rubbing his knuckles, and retreated quietly. Kensuke and the Suzahara boy stood silently.

Shinji slowly turned around. "I thought we were friends."

"Dude," said Toji, "I don't see-"

"I recognize some of those pictures," Shinji said, flatly. "You used me to distract her."

"Look," said Kensuke. "She's in public-"

"That's not the point," Shinji cut him off. "She risks her life piloting that _thing_. Risks her life for you people. It's wrong to try to exploit her like that."

"What do you mean…" Kensuke trailed off.

"She's not the first pilot. Remember Rei Ayanami?"

"The weird girl?" said Toji.

"She was the pilot during the first attack. It almost killed her. That's why she hasn't been in school."

"Dude," said Kensuke. "You, like, know stuff? I thought you said you got coffee and things, and-"

"Why should I tell you anything else? Will you sell that, too?"

"Who cares about some dumb robot," Toji retorted, crossing his arms. "Superman-"

Shinji stepped right up into Toji's face. "Let me ask you something. What do you think Superman would think if he were here right now? If he knew what you did?"

Toji blinked. "I, uh. He's a hero, and um, he… ah… probably… wouldn't be… okay… with it?"

"Well…" said Kensuke.

"Exactly," Shinji crossed his arms. "I know you have backups of those pictures. Let's have them."

Asuka snorted, then her breath caught. She wondered if she'd been heard, but the three boys ignored her. Of course, here it came. The pervert wanted all the pictures to himself. He'd probably have a good look at them later. As she watched, the Aida boy reluctantly pulled a thumb drive out of his pocket and handed it over, all the while staring at the ground. Shinji took it, and palmed it.

"Dude," said Toji. "Don't tell her about this…"

"I won't."

Asuka blinked. He won't?

"You won't?" said Kensuke.

"I won't, if you won't. There's no harm done. I don't want her worrying about people pulling stunts like this. She has enough on her mind saving all our lives."

"You know," Toji said quietly, "You're right. We shouldn't have done this."

Kensuke sighed. "If those jerks hadn't violated my civil rights.."

"Listen, man," Toji cut him off. "Are we cool?"

Shinji nodded. "As long as nothing like this happens again."

The two boys shrugged, nodded, and walked past him. When they were gone, he slumped against the brick wall of the alleyway, and let out a long, slow breath. He reached into his pocket, fished around, and brought out the thumb drive. He looked at it for a second, gently bobbed his hand as if to weigh it, and then closed his fingers around it. Then, he dropped the drive and the ball of crumpled pictures into a wastebasket and strolled off, hands thrust into his pockets.

Asuka waited quietly until he was gone, then nearly tip-toed into the alley until she reached the garbage can. When she peered inside, she saw the crumpled ball of pictures, and the thumb drive, smashed into a dozen pieces, the metal end where it plugged into the computer bend into a u-shape, as if around a finger. She blinked.

"Wow," the agent behind her said. "Isn't that Katsuragi's assistant?"

Asuka nearly jumped out of her skin. She rounded on the man, and realized the pair were smirking at her.

"What about it?"

"Oh, nothing," the other agent snickered.

"Keep your airheaded opinions to yourself," Asuka snapped, marching past them. "You're a security detail, not a Greek chorus."

* * *

><p>When Shinji walked into the apartment, Misato was kicking her feet, making tiny squeaking sounds as the balls of her feet hit the floor. A quick glance through the flesh of her ankle told him it was mostly fully healed, which made him feel a bit better. She caught his glance and looked up, brushing her hair out of her face and over her ear to get a better look at him. She eyed him for a moment, chewing her lip.<p>

"Are you checking me out?"

He froze, the blood draining from his face. "I, umm, I was just wondering if your leg was better."

She kept her expression neutral. "So that involves staring at my legs, then."

He swallowed. "I, uh, well, your leg was hurt, and-"

She snorted, and quivered with suppressed laughter. "You are too easy, you know that?"

He sighed. "I wish you'd stop doing that."

"I'm trying to help you."

"Right," he muttered, passing into the kitchen.

He didn't really feel hungry, but then he never did, but he did feel like eating and it would be time for dinner soon. He started fussing about in the drawers under the countertop, assembling the pots and pans he'd need for a meal. He didn't need to bother with a cookbook, as he had them all memorized, at least all the ones he'd ever read. He occupied himself by thinking of the pages, recalling their texture and the color of the paper as he visualized the text.

"What happened to your face?"

He jumped in actual surprise, and had to remember to make sure he hit the ground again. Misato was looking at his chin. He touched the spot where her gaze fell with his fingertips, and rubbed away a bit of soot that had accumulated there, from the fire. A mild moment of panic set in. Misato leaned forward to ask him something else when Asuka stormed into the apartment, kicking her shoes into the others with a pair of loud thumps. She froze when she saw Shinji in the kitchen, a curious look on her face. She wasn't looking at him with contempt anymore. In fact, it was hard to say how she was looking at him.

"Where'd you go, anyway?" said Misato, as she leaned forward to return to her work.

"Out," Asuka said sharply, stalking into the kitchen. "What's for dinner?"

"I'm not sure yet," said Shinji. "I'll be right back."

He cut past Misato and into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him. Once inside, he splashed some water on his face and toweled away the black streak, then double checked that there was no more, and ran his fingers through his hair to be sure. He couldn't be so careless. He opened the top two buttons of his collar and checked that there was no more around his neck, then carefully adjusted himself.

"What's with you?" he heard Misato say in the kitchen.

"Nothing," Asuka replied.

"Oh," said Misato. "I was just wondering, I mean you seem a little snappy, and you're staring at Shinji's butt."

"I am not sta- _what?_"

"You better be quiet," said Misato. "He might hear us. Of course, they can probably hear you in Africa."

Shinji smirked. He'd never really _tried_, but he probably could hear her from Africa. If he'd been there.

"Why are you two always so perverted?"

Shinji winced. He wasn't even in the room. That was entirely unfair.

He swore he could hear Asuka's teeth grinding.

"Oh come on, Shinji's about as perverted as… something that's not very perverted much at all."

Asuka sniffed. "Once again, I'm stung by your razor wit," she raised her voice, "Washout, get out here and cook me some dinner. What are you doing in there, anyway?"

"You should stop calling him that," Misato said quietly.

"Why? It's what he is."

"Somebody's in a defensive mood lately."

He chose that moment to reemerge. Asuka had opened her box of chocolates, and was presently chewing on a piece of candy, her eyes rolled back in her head ecstatically.

"You should share that," Misato said as she folded her arms.

"No way," Asuka said, almost playfully. "I'm the pilot, I get the rewards. Where did you get these, anyway?"

"I didn't," Misato pointed at Shinji with her chin. "He did."

Asuka turned around slowly, eyes narrowing. "How did you know I like this stuff?"

"Misato told me," he shrugged.

"He was worried about you."

Asuka turned around quickly. "Worried? Why."

He could see her tense. "Oh." She turned back to him. "You don't need to worry about me, _washout_."

"You could try being nice, once in a while." said Misato.

Asuka rolled her eyes. "How did you get these, anyway?"

"I made a few phone calls."

Asuka bit another piece in half, chewed it for a moment, and then swallowed it. Shinji started his water to boil, and pulled out some pieces of chicken he'd left in the refrigerator to thaw. He could cut it remarkably quickly, given that he didn't have to worry about cutting himself. The worst thing that could happen was the knife dulling on his skin.

"It's from _Germany._ How did you get it here so fast?"

"Duh," said Misato. "He-"

Shinji cut her off. "There was a local shop that had it. German immigrants."

"Oh," said Asuka. "Wait, you speak German?"

"No, but they speak French," he shrugged.

"Wait, you speak _French_?"

Shinji picture the books he had stacked up in his room. "French and English. I'm working on German."

"I didn't know you could speak French! I can't speak French."

Shinji looked at her over his shoulder. She was staring at him petulantly. He smirked. "Vous êtes belle, mais vos mots pourraient faire cailler le lait."

She looked at him blankly.

"Showoff," she muttered.

"Oh," Misato said, sliding a small plastic card across the table. "One more thing. Rei is going back to school tomorrow. I want you to meet her at her apartment and walk her to school."

"You mean, the two of us and the Goon Squad."

Misato sighed. "She has her own security detail. It'd be nice if my pilots would talk to one another."

"Oh," said Asuka, "that's right, the First Child. I don't know much about her. The updates just listed her synch ratio. About half of mine."

Misato rolled her eyes. "You would know that."

Asuka shrugged. "I need to know these things, you know."

"Right," said Misato, looking back down at her work.

From there, it was blessedly quiet. Shinji cooked and plated the foot, and the three ate in silence, Misato poring over her work, Asuka fiddling around with her telephone. Misato was the first to leave, arching her back as she stood up. Shinji blushed and stared more intensely at his dish of food.

"Don't be up too late," said Misato. "It's a school night, and you have a synch test after school, Asuka."

"I know," Asuka said sharply.

When Misato padded out of the kitchen, Pen-Pen emerged, climbed up onto her chair, and looked at Shinji expectantly. Sighing, he got up, fished around in the refrigerator for a can of food, and used the actual can opener this time. Pen-Pen cocked his head to the side in confusion as he fumbled with it. He dumped out the canned fish into the bird's dish and put it on the table before him.

"Well," said Asuka, "there goes my appetite. Good thing I'm done."

She stopped at the kitchen door. "Hey, Washout."

Shinji looked up from the sink, where he was wrist-deep in water.

"I know where you went this afternoon."

He froze. She knew. Oh God, she knew, if she told anyone-

"I don't need someone sneaking around trying to protect me. I'm not some delicate flower for you to watch over. I can handle those idiots myself."

He relaxed. She'd seen the thing with Toji and Kensuke somehow. How had he missed her? It shouldn't be possible for her to sneak up on him-

"But," she said, seeming to strain to form the words, "Thank you."

"You're wel-"

"Don't think it means anything," she snapped, then turned and stalked out of the kitchen.

Pen-Pen stared at him, and offered a little birdly shrug, then went back to eating. Shinji turned back to the dishes, sighing as he worked the cloth over them. Once everyone was out of sight, he could heat the water with his vision to make sure they were extra clean. A thin blanket of steam formed over the surface. He jumped a little when he heard Asuka's fist hit the wall.

"Why did I say that?" she whispered.

* * *

><p>When Asuka awoke, it was a good half hour before her alarm went off, and to the sound of Shinji padding quietly through the apartment. She got to her feet and very quietly crept to the door on all fours, resting on her elblows and shins so she didn't make any noise. She already had the door open by just a sliver. He came in with his bag over his shoulder as usual, and went into his room. She listened to the meaty thump as he put away the things in the bag, and then watched him emerge, shirtless, and head for the shower. Her breath caught, as usual.<p>

This time, she waited patiently for the water to turn on, and stole across the hallway on the balls of her feet, taking long, careful strides to minimize the noise. She slid into his room and looked around. It was really a hall closet, but it suited him, since had so few things, just his bed and a chest of drawers and a battered old cello case and his books. She spotted the tail end of one of his bag's straps between the bed and the chest of drawers, and knelt down next to it, then pulled it free. She quickly unzipped it, and found it empty except for a pair of battered work boots. Some of the eyelets were missing, the cuffs were frayed, and one of the soles had a deep gash in it, exposing the material of the insole. They looked like the must be years old, not even his.

Confused, she put the boots back as she found them, careful to make sure they were positioned exactly the same, and looked around. His drawers contained only clothes, except for the bottom, in which there was a vacuum-sealed plugsuit. They must have let him keep it as a souvenir. It made sense, since no one else could wear it; they were custom made. She pushed it back into the drawer and her breath caught when the plastic made a tiny crinkling sound. She immediately cursed herself for being so irrational, as there was no way he could possibly have heard it, even had the shower not been running.

She took a quick peek in the cello case, and finding only a cello, turned quickly closed it again. As she moved it back into position, she heard a strange thump, and opened it back up. Tucked behind the cello itself, in a small channel with the bow, was a metal canister with a screw top, like a pencil case. She pulled it out and turned it over in her hands. The metal was cool to the touch and had an odd, unfamiliar texture, like nothing she'd ever touched before. She gave the cap a quick try, but it wouldn't budge. Carefully, she wedged it back in place, closed the case, and stood up. She tapped her foot. There was something missing, something she hadn't thought of. Then, she turned around, and almost walked into Shinji.

He was standing in the door wrapped up in a towel, his eyes wide with shock.

"W-what are you…"

"I wanted to borrow one of your books," she said quickly, ducking down to pick up one of his French phrasebooks. "I want to learn French."

"Uh," said Shinji. "If you're going to borrow something, aren't you supposed to ask?"

Asuka's eyes narrowed. "I was going to ask. After I borrowed it."

"But isn't that technically-"

As if on cue, Misato appeared behind him, peering out from under the great frizzy mop of her bed-hair. She looked from Shinji in his towel to Asuka and back again.

"Bow chicka wow wow."

"Oh shut up," Asuka snapped, pushing Shinji aside. "Fine, washout. Next time, I will ask. I wouldn't want to breach your little fortress of solitude without permission."

She hurried past Misato, heading for the bathroom. She scooped up her own towel, bigger and fluffier than the cheap department store crap Misato used, and fairly ran across the short space of the kitchen and slammed the door shut. A moment later, Misato was pounding on the door.

"Hey! You didn't call it!"

"Yes I did!" Asuka snapped back, yelling so her voice would carry through the door. "I'm in here, aren't I?"

"Oh," said Misato.

Angrily, she disrobed and threw her pajamas into the corner of the room, as if to hurt them. Her own shampoo was securely stored in her room, and so she had to make do with Misato's foul smelling garbage. She seriously thought it came from a veterinarian. When she emerged, wrapped in two towels, Misato was angrily tapping her foot on the kitchen floor. The damned penguin was watching it all in his blank way, though for a moment, Asuka could swear he was smirking at them. Shinji rather pointedly ignored her as she crossed the kitchen, clutching the towel around her chest. She watched him as she walked through the door, expecting to see him trying to sneak a peek at her, but he made no movement.

She finished her grooming in her bedroom, making the sure the door was closed tightly before she did. Her bed would arrived today, but she still needed a proper door. She stared at the uniform hanging in her closet for a moment, as if it were a living thing, before she slipped into the shirt and tied the ribbon around her throat. It took her only a few minutes to dress, and she had to stop to admire herself in the mirror. She hated the look, but the uniform was _perfect._ Shinji pressed all her clothes so immaculately it looked like it was done by some sort of machine. When she stepped outside into the hall, she looked around and realized that everything in the apartment was like that, neatly arranged and organized. When did he have time do that?

He'd prepared her breakfast with his usual speed. Misato was slurping down a can of coffee, drinking it in great gulps and standing in the kitchen swaddled in towels, bold as you please. She gave Shinji a little push on the shoulder when he blushed, and cocked her hips to the side.

"Is there something on the floor?"

"No," Shinji said nervously. "It's just, um."

Misato barked out a laugh at him. "I'm going to get dressed. I'll see you both after school. Synch test, Asuka!"

Asuka glared after her, and took a drink of juice as Shinji sat down to eat. He'd prepared himself a small portion, and, she noticed, it was all vegetable matter, various greens and springs and such things. She frowned at him over her cup and put it on the table.

"What are you, part rabbit now?"

He actually blushed. "I'm a vegetarian."

"Since when?"

"Since today," he said quietly, taking a bite of his food. He seemed more interested in the taste than the quantity, savoring each bite before swallowing it. He drank plain water, and stopped to look in the glass before taking each sip.

"Why?" said Asuka.

"I've decided I don't want to eat meat anymore," said Shinji. "Nothing from an animal."

"And why not?" said Asuka. "You don't mind me eating it."

She took a bite of egg for emphasis.

"I wouldn't want to force my views on anyone," he shrugged. "But would you eat Pen-Pen?"

The penguin looked up at mention of his name, a sardine hanging from his mouth. He slurped it down and Asuka felt a pang of revulsion.

"Wark," said Pen-Pen.

Shinji smirked. "I think that means 'don't answer that' in Pen-Pen."

Asuka's eyes narrowed, and she suppressed a giggle. "Very funny. He's eating meat. You don't mind that."

Shinji shrugged. "He doesn't have a choice. I do."

"Oh," said Asuka, poking a bit of sausage into her mouth. "So do I."

"You should," said Shinji, before finishing the last of his meal. He took a piece of toast and clenched it between his teeth.

Asuka looked down at her own empty plate and handed it to him. He put it in the sink and sprayed some water over them both, and continued nibbling his toast while he did, gradually working it into his mouth without touching it. He finally took one big bite and it vanished, like grass being sucked into a cow's mouth.

"Yes?"

"What?" Asuka said defensively.

"You were kind of staring at me a little."

"I was not," she said sharply. "Are you coming, or not?"

He shrugged. "I guess. Aren't we supposed to pick up Ayanami?"

"Oh," Asuka muttered. "Right. Hold on."

Asuka knocked twice on Misato's door and slid it open. The older woman jumped in surprise and Asuka grinned. The little squeak of shock she let out was extremely satisfying. She hurriedly turned around and continued buttoning her uniform shirt.

"What?"

"Aren't we supposed to go get the First? I don't know where she lives."

"Oh," said Misato. "Tell the security goons to drive you. They know."

Asuka retreated and closed the door, smiling smugly in satisfaction at Misato's muttering. She strode out into the hallway and joined Shinji in slipping on shoes to head out into the world. Once outside, she flagged down the nearest black-suited security agent.

"Yes?"

"Take us to Ayanami's quarters," Asuka demanded, rising to her full height with her hands on her hips.

"Just you," said the Agent.

"What?" Asuka snarled. "I distinctly said _us._"

The agent looked at her in blank-faced annoyance. "Orders from the Commander. Ayanami is not to have contact with him."

Shinji blinked. "Why?"

"I don't know," said the agent, "and I don't care."

Shinji shrugged. "Okay. I'll see you at school, I guess."

Asuka considered this for a moment. She couldn't overrule the Commander. She'd never actually _met_ the man, but his reputation preceded him. She watched Shinji walk away, shoulders down, without speaking. He shouldered his bag as if it were a heavy burden, and took to the sidewalk. Asuka turned around, and they were already bringing up the black sedan. She slid into the back, tossing her bag on the seat.

"Good mo-"

"Be quiet," Asuka snapped, cutting off the driver's inane banter. She crossed her legs and folded her arms, and kicked the seat in front of her as the car rolled. The tinted windows made it look like it was still nighttime. She watched the buildings slip by as the car turned away from the school, and in fact away from the most populous area of the city. The buildings changed, starting to look less pristine and modern and more like broken jaws. The sound of a pile driver thumped through the morning air, and she heard the scraping sounds of construction equipment, in this case probably doing demolitions. The neighborhood looked like a demilitarized zone.

"Ayanami lives here?" said Asuka.

The agent driving the car didn't reply. Asuka sneered. Let him sulk, petulant child. When the car stopped, she nearly lept out, yanking her bag with her. This place was actually a bit closer to the school than Misato's apartment, and must have been the remnants of the worker tenements occupied while the city was actually being built. The building itself looked unoccupied, and she was almost surprised to find an open apartment complete with three bored looking guards sitting around a table, smoking and playing cards. They glanced up at her, she saw a flash of recognition, and they waved her on.

"Here for Ayanami? 404." One of them said, not looking up.

Asuka blinked and headed for the elevator. Out of order. It figured. It looked bad, very bad, and she wouldn't have tried to use it, sign or no sign. The doors were dented and scuffed, the buttons were hanging loose on wires like old doll's eyes hanging on strings, and the frame around the door had been peeled away, exposing the inner mechanism of the elevator's own inside doors. She walked past it and found the stairwell, and began the business of ascending, cursing herself for agreeing to this. The stairwell was dank, cold, and dark, and she felt like she was being watched.

Apartment 404 had a broken door, and it was ajar. She instantly felt her stomach tighten. Had someone broken in, tried to assassinate Ayanami, as they had her? She pushed the door open and darted inside, only to be greeted by the soft sound of a running shower and thin wisps of steam. Laid out on the bed was her uniform, apparently one of several she had, as the others were hanging on racks in her closet, which had no door. There was no sign of any other clothes, other than her underthings, presumably, in a small night stand.

Asuka marveled. The place wasn't filthy, exactly, but it was grim, utilitarian, and there was no attention paid to making it look habitable. The walls were covered in old stains and the curtains probably weren't meant to be a tobacco brown color, nor so thin. The bedsheets looked like hospital sheets, just laid over the mattress rather than folded. There was enough pills to open a pharmacy, spread everywhere in bottles. What was odd, though, was the no less than three computers set up on a desk, all of the monitors arranged next to each other with the keyboards sort of stacked up, to all be within reach. There was a stack of printed papers and thin, fluttering strips of newsprint fixed to one wall. Some of the text had been underlined, and there were pieces of yarn trailing between some of them, linking them.

Lying on the bed was an odd assortment of items. There was a medical eyepatch and an arm sling, and a strange cast that looked like it was meant to hinge and come apart. It was resting on the bed, folded open. Asuka picked it up, and dropped it when she heard soft, padding footsteps behind her. She spun on her heels and gasped. Ayanami emerged from the bathroom, clad only in a towel. A towel around her _neck_. She just left the door hanging open and…

Asuka felt a sudden flush, and her heart started to race, pounding in her chest. She nearly fell on the bed. There was something off about this girl. Her skin was as pale as chalk, and in the morning cold she was a roadmap of red arteries and blue veins drawn all over her skin. Asuka found her eyes drifting both up and down, unable to fix on any one detail. Her eyes were bright red, which spoke of an albino, but her hair was _blue_. For a bare instant she thought it was dyed, but the patches under her arms disproved that assumption. Asuka's throat felt dry, and she tried to speak, but only thin rasps came out.

The other girl approached with a flat stare, totally unconcerned by her nakedness. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"I-I…" Asuka started, then forced herself to take a breath, closing her eyes. "I'm Asuka Langely-Soryu, the pilot-"

"Of Unit Two. Why are you here?"

"Unit One, now," said Asuka. "Mis- Captain Katsuragi asked me to walk you to school."

"I see," said Rei.

Brazenly, she walked to the bed and continued toweling off, then tossed the towel onto a seemingly random spot on the floor, no longer concerned with it. Asuka watched the movement of her long, well-turned limbs for a moment before turning around. She felt a pang of jealousy at the way the uniform shirt Rei wore was filled out when she slipped it on and began to button it down. Asuka ran her hand along the hinged cast.

"What is this stuff?"

Slipping into her skirt, Rei began putting on the medical supplies, first the eyepatch, and then some bandaging, winding it in a peculiar way around her head. Now that she was decent, Asuka turned around and continued to appraise her. The girl's perfectly smooth skin seemed to be in spite of her harsh hygiene- she smelled of cheap soap, and nothing else. Her hair looked like she'd cut it herself, roughly hacking it off with scissors, and was frizzy, as if she washed it with bar soap.

"What's with that stuff?" said Asuka, watching the girl clasp the false cast around her arm.

Rei fixed her with her flat gaze. There was no menace it, only bland appraisal. "That information is classified. You will not tell anyone what you saw here this morning."

Asuka planted her fists on her hips and barked out "Or what?" before even thinking. Classified?

Rei stepped closer to her, and Asuka instinctively took a step back. The girl unnerved her, and it was getting worse by the second. The smell of soap and the dank apartment made her feel like she was playing some silly horror video game, like some ridiculous monster was about to come lurking out of the closet… the closet. She had a brief flash, the barest instant of an impression, the sound of an extension cord suspending something heavy and limp in a closet, creaking.

She barely realized she was holding her breath. She let it out, slowly.

"It is classified," Rei repeated. "My medical condition is classified. If you reveal it to anyone, you will be disciplined. Do you understand?"

Asuka rankled, or part of her did, under the girl's tone, but there was a strange edge to it. Anyone else would have tried to put some menace into the inflection. She'd dealt with people before, people who thought they were her betters just because they were older, trying to talk to down to her the way they would a child, and meeting her blunt refusal to accept that. Rei's words were even, a monotone, a simple statement of fact that she would not talk about what she'd seen unless she wanted to be _disciplined_, whatever that meant.

It couldn't be good.

She felt something very silly at that moment, something she didn't expect. A sort of expectation, a realization that a strangely familiar presence wasn't standing behind her, watching all of this over her shoulder. She was alone in the apartment with Rei, and Shinji was walking to school. It bothered her, though she couldn't say why. She took a step back, bumping the small refrigerator near the bed with her rear end.

"I'll wait for you outside."

Quickly, she fled the apartment, and then without even thinking slid against the wall beside the door, leaning on it for support as her legs softened. She hadn't felt this unnerved by anything in years, not even the angels. Rei was different, _different_, like something she'd seen before, something familiar and alien and _wrong_, and Asuka wanted her to go away.

"Let's go," Rei said softly, emerging from the apartment. She didn't bother closing the door, and Asuka said nothing.

As she walked, she felt her proper self return, and put her usual swagger on her gait. The security men shadowed them, and the sudden crushing presence, once an annoyance, actually reassured her. She stole glances at Rei, and each time she let her eyes fix on her, took a good look, she felt that tightness in her throat. She wished they were already at school. Thankfully, the walk was short; they didn't even have to take the train. The school was in sight, and Asuka sped up. Rei didn't, and that was fine. They hadn't said one word to one another once hitting the street, and that was fine, too. Asuka was nearly running, and the bodyguards assigned to her jogged to catch up.

Shinji was standing with the two stooges, and the looks on their faces when they saw her running towards them made her morning, almost chased away the butterflies swirling in her belly. She took the stairs two at a time, but before she reached them, Shinji excused himself and they quickly retreated as he moved towards her, his eyes wide.

"Asuka?" he said quickly, "What is it? What's wrong?"

She blinked as she came to a stop, one step down from him.

"Did something happen?"

She let herself pant for a while, and watched him. He did it again. He stood a little straighter, and his shoulders pressed back, tightening his uniform shirt around his chest. His stomach pulled in, not as an affectation but just because that's where it was supposed to be.

"Asuka?"

"I'm fine," she said, hurriedly.

"Are you sure? If there's something wrong, I want to help."

She looked up at him. He meant it. _He meant it._ He broke up the two idiots trying to sell her pictures before and didn't expect anything in return, he didn't even _tell her_, and-

He reached out. His movement was gentle, halting. He almost touched her cheek, but didn't.

"Have you been crying?"

An electric jolt ran up her spine. She reared back.

"Don't touch me," she hissed.

He pulled back as though he'd touched a hot stove. "I'm sorry! I-"

"Get out of my way," she snapped, shouldering past him. She left him there, staring after her in her wake.

She brushed at her eye with her wrist. Of course she hadn't been crying, the idiot. It was just hay fever.

* * *

><p>Shinji was actually surprised when Toji nudged his shoulder with his knuckles. He watched Rei closely as she walked into the room and sat down at the seat by the window, previously unoccupied, as if waiting for her. No one in the room paid her any mind, but in a sort of deliberate way, not indifferent but purposely ignoring her. For her part, Rei ignored everything, even the chat, and simply cupped her chin in her hand stared out the window. Shinji thought he'd imagined it before, or that he'd been mistaken somehow, but there was no denying it now. Her arm had never been broken, and her eye was intact. Her skull was fine, too.<p>

When he turned around, he momentarily saw the flickers of neurons in Toji's brain before he remember to unfocus his gaze and return to the surface of things. He shook his head.

"What is it with you," Toji whispered, "first the demon, and now the ghost."

Shinji blinked. Toji could be oddly poetic at times.

"It's not like that," he sighed.

"Then what's it like?"

He considered that for a moment, in silence. Telling anyone that he knew Rei was related to him somehow, whatever that implied, would confirm the existence of a leak, of someone feeding him information. He couldn't betray Professor Fuyutsuki's confidence like that. He couldn't tell Toji what was really bothering him, either, namely that he saw Rei beaten and broken in the entry plug, and then, not long after, completely healed. Fuyutsuki said they were related.

Related how?

"Well," Toji said, snapping him from his reverie. "Your wife sure thinks it is."

"She's not my… what?"

Toji angled his head towards the front of the classroom, where Asuka was angrily ranting at Hikari.

"I can't hear them, but she looks mad," said Toji.

Shinji felt a pang of guilt as he focused his attention on the girls at the front of the room.

"He thought I was _crying!_ Can you believe the nerve? I'm an Eva pilot. I'm not some stupid, weak little girl," Asuka growled.

Hikari looked at her in a mixture of confusion and bemusement. "I'm sure he just-"

"Then he spends all morning staring at that… that _doll._ The little pervert probably wants to dress her up as a maid or something."

Hikari sighed. "You act like everyone here is some kind of huge pervert."

"They are!" said Asuka. "Look at what they make us wear to school!"

He glanced back at Rei. He understood why someone would stare at her. She was _strange_, but in an exotic, almost alluring way. He could certain see himself finding her attractive, had he not known the truth. She had a curious, indifferent air to her- she wore no makeup and it looked like she cut her hair herself, and crudely at that, more to get it out of the way than the craft some kind of appearance. He found himself wondering what kind of life she'd led to end up like that, just staring out the window. The idea of putting her in a maid outfit didn't seem very appealing. Asuka, on the other hand, wearing white stockings and a frilly apron over-

Where did that come from?

"Uh oh," said Kensuke. "The teacher said there's going to be a test."

"In what?" said Toji. "He never talks about anything but Second Impact."

Shinji glanced at the clock. He was almost looking forward to going to work.

* * *

><p>Ritsuko stared at the open folder on her desk, trying to parse the information she was seeing. The genetic material from the sample was unlike anything she'd ever seen, neither angel nor human. It was a human genotype, except there was a <em>third<em> set of nucleotides grafted to the strand, producing not a double but a triple helix, and the cells from the sample had too many chromosomes. It was as if it came from a human being with two fathers, one human and one _something else._ Moreover, the sample, currently sitting frozen in specimen container in the depths of Terminal Dogma, refused to die, and more than that, the cells grew even healthier anytime she looked at them, particularly if they were exposed to light. There was something missing, something she wasn't seeing, and it bothered her.

She smelled coffee. Hot coffee. She sat up from the disaster area that was her work bench and turned around on her chair. Shinji was standing in the door, holding a cup of coffee. He blushed, as he always did. For some reason, that made Ritsuko herself feel self-conscious, and she flipped her labcoat over her legs and beckoned him to enter.

"Misato told me to bring you this."

Ritsuko sighed and accepted the cup, taking a sip.

"This isn't from the machine."

"I made it," Shinji said, proudly.

"Did you, now. Misato sent you with it."

"She said you look tired."

"Do I look tired?"

He blinked. "Um," he said.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What are you doing?"

She turned around and flipped the folder closed, almost spilling the coffee in the process.

"I'm… working. It's classified."

Shinji sighed. "I get that a lot."

"Well," said Ritsuko, "I don't think Misato told you what you were getting into. You couldn't really help me, anyway. There's a lot of math."

"I like math," said Shinji.

"Difficult math," said Ritsuko. "Is there anything else?"

He scratched his head. "Yes. I don't know how to ask you this, but…"

Her eyebrow arched. "What?"

"Rei… err, Pilot Ayanami, is she-"

"Don't talk about her," Ritsuko said quickly. "Don't even bring it up."

Shinji blinked. "I just-"

"I know, you're worried about her. It's cute, Shinji, but everything related to Rei is classified."

"If you say so," said Shinji, dejected. Then, he stopped. Ritsuko realized he was staring at one of the papers laid out on her desk, and moved to cover it with her hands.

"Um," he said, "I didn't mean-"

"You shouldn't even be in here," said Ritsuko, more tired than anything. "I can't believe Misato-"

"You made a mistake."

She blinked. "What?"

He pointed to the page he was looking at, glanced across the table, and picked up a pencil. Hastily, he crossed out an equation and rewrote it. She moved to stop him, until she saw what he'd written. He was right.

"How did you do that? This isn't exactly high school level material."

"I told you, I like math," said Shinji.

* * *

><p>Kozo knocked on Katusragi's office door once, twice, and then nudged it open.<p>

"Captain?"

"Subcommander? Come in."

He pushed the door open and found her huddled behind her desk, nearly obscured by the mass of papers spread out in front of her. She was scrawling away on one of them with a pen, and held her head in other hand, leaning on her palm as if she was having a hard time keeping her head up. Fuyutsuki circled the desk, looking over the material. There was nothing of any particular complexity, there was just so very much of it.

"Papers, papers, papers," Misato muttered, "I find out I need a form, and then I have to fill out a form to request the form I need to get the form. This is a nightmare."

Fuyutsuki said nothing. What could he tell her, that this was all arranged in advance, that her position was mostly artifice, and that she was only really needed to guide the pilots in combat? He couldn't be sure if she would be relieved or become incensed at the injustice of it. He cleared his throat.

"I was looking for your assistant, actually. I need to borrow him."

"Oh," said Katsuragi. "I sent him to take some coffee to Ritsuko. He makes the best coffee."

"I see," said Fuyutsuki. "I'm surprised you don't have him working on thinning your pile."

"I'm performing an experiment," said Katusragi.

"Of what sort?"

"You'll see."

Admittedly confused, he strode out of the office and down the hall, winding his way through the installation. He never thought an affinity for mandalas would make itself useful when navigating his workplace, but then he never thought he would be recruited by force to join an apocalyptic cult planning to end the world, either.

He found the door to her office hanging open, as usual. Everyone with access to this level was cleared, so there was no real concern for security this far into the base, but it was still disconcerting how casual and sloppy she could be. He was used to the stink of cigarettes and old, stale coffee, but today it was overwhelmed by the pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and he had to admit it did smell particularly good, his preference for tea aside.

Akagi was hunched over her desk, and surprisingly, so was Shinji, so close to her their arms were almost pressed together. He was working at something furiously with a pencil while she looked on, appraising him over the rims of her glasses. She looked up when Fuyutsuki entered, and looked at him blankly.

"What are you doing?" said Fuyutsuki.

Akagi's mouth tightened. "I was teaching him some math."

Fuyutsuki raised his eyebrow. "You were."

Shinji turned around. "Professor?"

"The basics of AT-Field theory," said Akagi. "It's all been published."

Fuyutsuki waved a hand. "I'm sure you wouldn't divulge anything he needn't know."

"Is there something you need, sir?" said Shinji.

"Not now, you can take care of it for me later."

"Oh," said Shinji.

Fuyutsuki put his hands in his pockets, and walked away.

* * *

><p>Asuka's eyes became lidded as she leaned back in Unit One's seat. She couldn't go to sleep, but couldn't do anything, not even listen to music or read. She'd long grown used to the lengthy, contemplative silence of the synch test, the process of sitting in the Evangelion and synching with it for long periods to take readings and make adjustments to perfect the interface. Her hair swirled about her in thick strands, infused with the LCL. She reached up to brush it out of her face.<p>

It felt curious, synching with Unit One. It was different from Unit Two. The Production Model was more refined in its design and movements. She could feel the jury-rigged parts of the armor and the oddities in the joints pulling at her, a second set of ghostly limbs resting over her own, but there was something underneath it, something more than just an interface with a machine. It felt closer, for lack of a better word, more immediate, the sensations of the genetically engineered creature hiding inside the armor more easily read, more a feeling than an awareness of mechanical conditions. She could almost feel it breathing.

On top of that, there was a surprising familiarity. At first, it felt uncomfortable, different, even though the plugs were functionally interchangeable. She'd heard the technicians mumbling about the Eva's idiosyncrasies, and there was the odd incident where it seemed to turn and look at her, but it was a explainable, the quirks of the first testing model of a very cutting edge construction. She turned her head a little and the Eva responded, the neck joint grinding as it looked slightly towards the other cage, where Unit Zero was held. Helpfully, the Eva sensed her interest and focused on the other Unit, bringing it up with a display showing its inactivity. Inert and bound in frozen bakelite, Unit Zero had tried to kill its pilot and escape the confines of the cage. It was a bitter reminder of how tenuous her situation was, how it was too easy and too familiar and she could be lost if she wasn't careful.

She thought she felt something. The liquid atmosphere of the plug warmed, and she let her head slide back against the headrest again, strangely comforted it. It felt home-like, safe, and she felt the confusion and stress of the day slide out of her.

Her eyes were open, but she felt as if she was dreaming. The events of the morning played out again, cold, clinical, detached, like watching a recording. She watched herself in her mind's eye, and felt ridiculous about creeping through Ayanami's apartment block like a scared little girl, jumping at shadows and staring at corners. The sensation of comfort increased, and she instinctively pulled her legs to her chest, sliding to the side a little bit, letting her head rest against the side of the seat. She remembered seeing Rei emerge from her little bathroom.

There was something wrong.

Her eyes were red painted buttons, sewn into a face of pure white cloth, and blue lengths of yarn dangled down over her cheeks. Her mouth was a puffy line, inscribed in her face with knotted string. Asuka put her hand to her chest, and realized her heart was trying to pound out through her ribcage. Her breaths came short and clipped, and immediately her head began to swim, stars swirling in her vision as she puffed the LCL in and out too quickly to get enough oxygen from it, life-sustaining current or no.

In her mind's eye, an orange extension cord draped over Rei's shoulder, looped around her neck and then around itself, around and around into a hangman's knot, and pulled-

She sat up with a start, and the Evangelion yanked at its restraints, Unit One jerking in unison with her. She felt it again, the pressing sensation of breaths not her own, air tasted through riveted metal plates. Against her own heartbeat she felt the rhythmic, thundering pulses of the Eva's own heart, the dormant organ somehow awakened. With each thump-thump, her own pulse slowed with it. The fluid around her grew warmer, and there was a sudden spike in the pressure, not unwelcome but strangely comforting, almost like an embrace. She relaxed back into the seat.

"Asuka?" said a voice. "Asuka, what happened? Your synch ratio-"

"I know," Asuka said sharply. "It dropped. I dozed off a little, it won't-"

"That's just it. It went up. It almost hit 90."

Asuka blinked. "What? Who is this?"

"Lieutenant Ibuki. Doctor Akagi went upstairs for a minute."

Asuka let herself relax again. The same feeling started to come over her, and she retracted sharply, sitting up again, but the Eva, it seemed, persisted, as if there were a pair of hands on her shoulders, steadying her. Other images came to her unbidden, other memories. Shinji. His face floated into her inner sight, always looking at her in that curious way of his. She couldn't find the words for it. She sighed, and rubbed at her eyes, instantly annoyed at the feel of the slick plugsuit glove against her skin.

"We're almost done," said Ibuki. "We can stop, if you like."

"Get me out of here," said Asuka.

She leaned back and waited. The LCL went cold the lights went dark, and suddenly she felt heavy with her own presence, alone in a hollow metal tube. The liquid drained out with a great rolling sound, and she quickly leaned to one side to evacuate the contents of her lungs into it. She'd have to deal with the small quantity she swallowed as she fought her gag reflex, same as always. It didn't help to have it slurping around in her stomach as the plug ejected, thrusting her forward, and then back into the seat. She leaned over the edge of the hatch for a moment once it opened, and then swung her legs over to drop down onto the platform.

There were a few technicians there, already ministering to the Eva, going over the plug, and tastefully ignoring her body-hugging plugsuit. Lieutenant Ibuki came up to her, carrying a clipboard.

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," said Asuka, sweeping her fingers through her hair. She flicked a streamer of LCL out into space, to let it join the great pool of it below.

"Your numbers were very good," said Ibuki. "Even without the spike, you managed a two point improvement."

"Of course I did," said Asuka.

She made her way down into the locker room, headed straight into the shower, and started working to scrub the link liquid out of her hair, flopping it onto the tiled floor to let it swirl around the drain, livid and red. She plucked the bottle of the shampoo off the wall and lathered it into her hair, and let it rest there while she stripped off her plugsuit. Once it hit the floor with a wet slap, she started running the soap off of her head, and it mingled with the LCL swirling around the drain, white froth floating on top of the thinned red.

"Eek! Eek! Eek! Eek!"

Asuka nearly jumped out of her skin, spun on her heels, and struggled not to fall as he feet slid out from under her. She whipped her arms around, trying to steady herself first, then cover herself with her arms, twisting around her own body.

Misato stood at the edge of the shower, grinning. "Haven't you ever seen _Psycho_?"

"Go to hell!" Asuka shouted, pitching the shampoo bottle at her.

Misato dodged easily, ducking to the side. "Great numbers on the test, I-"

"Do you mind?" Asuka snapped.

"Prude," said Misato, stepping back out into the locker room.

When she emerged, wrapped up in a towel, Misato was milling around between the rows of lockers, humming to herself, arms folded across her chest, staring at the ceiling. She turned her back as Asuka moved to dress.

She started putting her school uniform back on.

"We're going to need you in Unit One for the Unit Zero reactivation," said Misato.

"When?"

"In a few days, when Rei's cast comes off."

Asuka stared at Misato's back, as she buttoned her shirt. Did she know? She stopped, her fingers hovering over the last button. Could she ask? She glanced around the locker room. Did they have bugs in here? Cameras? Would someone know?

"What do you need me for?"

"To restrain it, if it goes berserk again."

Asuka's breath caught. If Unit Zero went berserk again, they'd need to replace it, maybe bring Unit Two to Japan early, transport it by air rather than by sea, as planned. Maybe Unit Zero would need to be put down, and that girl…

She stared at the floor. What was she thinking? She tried to button the last button but her hands were too shaky. She didn't need it, anyway, since she wasn't actually going to school, so she let it hang open and started pulling on her skirt instead.

"Fine," she said, finally.

"You'll have to miss school."

Asuka snorted.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"I have to stay. Shinji is going to walk you home."

Asuka scrunched her eyebrows together and scowled. "I don't need a babysitter."

She clipped her nerve clips back on, and headed out. When she walked out of the locker room, he was waiting, leaning against the wall, staring down at his feet. He perked up when he noticed her, and rocked onto the balls of his feet. He didn't say anything as they started to walk, didn't try to make any small talk as they got into the elevator together, just pushed the button for the garage without asking. He walked just behind her as they headed for the staff car that would driver her home. As she moved to slide into the back seat, he put his hand out and she rested hers on it, out of pure instinct. Her fingers curled around his palm for just a moment before she quickly drew her hand back. He crossed to the other side and sat down beside her, letting his head fall against the headrest. He watched out the window as they drove, seemingly fascinated by the Geofront and then by the world outside, after the tunnel.

The ride to the apartment was uneventful. Shinji didn't have anything to say, apparently. When they arrived, he leapt out of the car to rush to open the door for her, and again offered his hand to steady her. She took it again, just for an instant. It was strange, resting her weight on his palm, even for a second. He was so damned strong, as much as he tried to hide it. He picked up her schoolbag and his own and followed her up the steps into the apartment. As they walked to the elevator, he looked around intently. There was such a light in his eyes, they almost seemed to glow.

The elevator doors slid shut and clacked together. Asuka reached out for the button, and her finger stopped for just a moment before she pressed it. The elevator started to move, and her finger rested over the stop button.

On pure impulse, she pressed it. The car stopped.

Shinji looked at her expectantly. He swallowed.

"Shinji," said Asuka.

His face was a cypher. She could see him forcing his expression to be neutral, expectant, waiting. He glanced around the elevator.

Asuka swallowed. Her throat was suddenly dry. She had to force the words out. "When I saw Ayanami this morning…"

He blinked. "Yes?"

She looked around now, absurdly, as if there could be someone tucked away in the elevator, listening to them. She swallowed again, though her mouth was still dry.

"Her cast, the bandages, it's all fake."

Shinji looked at her for a moment. "I know."

She started. "How?"

He shook his head. "I knew there was something wrong. I saw her after the first attack, Asuka. She… she almost died. She shouldn't be able to walk."

"She… she threatened me."

"What?"

"She said if I told anyone, there would be 'consequences', whatever that meant. She said it was 'classified'."

"Is that why you were upset?"

"Yes," she lied. "Being an Eva pilot is my _life._ But… I couldn't…"

"Have you talked to Misato about this?"

She shook her head.

"Good," he said, tapping the elevator button. "Don't, not yet."

The elevator arrived, and the doors parted. Shinji led the way, opened the apartment door, and waited for her, inside. She slipped off her shoes and he follow suit, and they walked into the apartment. Her hands were shaking, and she resisted the urge to grab her skirts to steady them. Shinji stopped in the living room, staring out the window.

"Will you be okay if I go out for a while?"

She shook her head.

"Okay? I'm fine. I don't need a nursemaid."

He sighed. "Okay. I'll be back."

* * *

><p>Rei carefully pinned the latest printout to the wall, then stood back to stare at the pattern. She still had her uniform shirt on, more out of comfort than modesty. The latest article didn't fit with the others. The pattern of strings didn't accommodate it, it found no place. The others, spread out on the bed, were much the same. She re-read the headline and skimmed the text again, waiting for the connection to leap out at her. Now that she had the time, she'd spread the pattern across the entire wall, linking the strands of information together. The center of the pattern was Superman, the articles giving just enough information to glean his movements, and determine his first appearance- of course, the papers printed nothing of his activities during the first attack.<p>

The glass door of her small balcony rattled as it was struck three times, by quick taps. She turned, confused. It should have been inaccessible. A bird, perhaps? Another three taps dismissed that notion. She stood up, brushed the curtains back, and in a rare expression of shock, her jaw dropped.

It was _him._ Standing there in the fading afternoon light, feet planted wide, arms crossed across his chest on the balcony. The space, just a little alcove where her washer and dryer sat outside, where she dried her clothes, seemed too small to contain him. She slid the door open. If he meant her harm, he would have simply smashed through it.

"I'm sorry about the intrusion, but I don't think the security men would like it very much if I came in the front door."

"No," said Rei, "they would not."

"Can I come in?"

She stepped back. He walked into the room, turning to fit his shoulders through the narrow balcony door. He looked around in confusion, stopping several times to stare at certain points. He turned around and looked at her.

"You're not hurt."

"That is correct."

"How is that possible?"

"I cannot tell you."

"I saw you after the first attack. You were really hurt. How did you get better so fast?"

"I cannot tell you," she repeated.

"You didn't put your fake cast on," he said quietly.

"There would be no point. You can see through objects."

His eyes went wide. "How did you-"

"I deduced it."

He glanced at the information wall. She could see his eyes following the strings, working out the pattern.

"You're trying to figure out who I am."

"That is correct."

"Why?"

"I do not know."

He walked around the apartment, very slowly.

"You live like this?"

She looked around. What did he see?

"Like what?"

"This place is a pit. I couldn't believe you actually lived her until I saw you."

"It is serviceable."

He stopped, facing away from her. He took in a deep breath.

"Who are you?"

"I am Rei Ayanami, pilot of Evangelion Unit Zero."

"I know that," he said, sharply, "but there's something else. You look, you _smell_ so familiar to me. Why is that?"

"I do not know."

He looked at her, intently. "Why is that?"

"I said, I do not know."

"You're telling the truth."

She cocked her head to the side. "How do you know that?"

"I know how a polygraph works. I can see your skin conductivity, the heat bloom on your face. I can hear your heart beating. There's something else I can see, too, but I don't even know what it is."

She blinked. "I do not understand."

"I don't either," he shrugged. "For the last few days, I can see… things, it's like colors, around everything that's alive. I don't know what it is."

Fascinating. Could he _see_ blood patterns? What did he see when he looked at her?

"Listen," he said, lowering his voice. "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm going to find out. If you're in danger, I can help you."

She considered him for a moment. At first glance he seemed so silly, with his costume and the symbol on his chest, but he radiated such power, such presence, that it was almost overwhelming. He didn't simply stand in the small room, he filled it, overawed it with his simply being there. Like the balcony, it seemed to small to contain him. The world was too small to contain him.

"I am told only what I need to know," she said flatly. "The Commander gives me orders, and I follow them."

"He orders you to live here?"

"Yes."

His eyes narrowed. "He orders you to threaten the other pilots?"

She blinked. "I did not threaten anyone."

"You're telling the truth. Why did you-"

"You are referring to Pilot Soryu. I did not threaten her. I informed her of facts. The Commander has made it clear to me that there will be severe consequences if classified information is compromised."

"Yes," said Superman. "I understand, but I know that you're faking your injuries."

"Yes," said Rei. "You do."

"You'll report that to him."

"Yes."

"You'll tell him I was here."

"Yes."

He studied her for a moment.

"Good."

He walked past her, back out onto the balcony. He stood there for a moment, as if expecting her to say something.

"Why do you help people?"

His eyes widened a little. He looked at her for a long moment.

"Because I can."

He rose up. His feet simply stopped touching the ground, and he slid up and out of her field of view, disappearing into the evening sky. She traced his path out onto the balcony, waited for a moment. She had new, valuable information. He had simply given it to her, fed her a vast feast of data. The meaning of it teased her mind, pressed to the forefront.

She walked to her bed, and sat down, and looked at the wall. The pattern made more sense, now, but she realized there was another pattern, one she had only just begun to see. A new pattern, and she was part of it, and so was the Commander.

"Because I can," she whispered.

She looked up at the wall again. Something teased at her still, tugged at her mind.

She froze.

She smelled familiar to him.

That narrowed the pattern down _significantly. _

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki stood up from the bench when he saw Shinji arrive. The boy looked tired, and beneath the regal magnificence, there was a tiredness to him. Fuyutsuki had never seen him look tired, never even less than upbeat, but tonight he seemed deeply fatigued, and it made the tears in his dungaree pants and the scuffs and damage to his boots stand out, highlight the effect. He didn't speak to Fuyutsuki. Instead, he walked past him, skirting the edge of the overlook, not looking out at the lights of the city. He walked to the edge of the clearing, wound up, and put his fist through a tree.<p>

The trunk exploded in a shower of splinters, the top half creaking and groaning as it rolled and tumbled over the edge, crashing and snapping, the sound of crushing celery magnified a thousandfold as branches snapped. Shinji very calmly walked over to him, sat down on the bench, and put his face in his hands.

Fuyutsuki didn't look at him.

"What happened?"

Shinji lifted his head up. "I went to see Rei."

"You _what?"_

"I had to!" he stood up. "Asuka, she-"

Fuyutsuki took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "Tell me what happened. Start from the beginning."

He waited, patiently, as Shinji ranted, wandering around the clearing. He left nothing out. Kozo winced as he listened to the way the girl reacted when he tried to comfort her, felt his pain. It made it worse to realize that the boy, himself, didn't realize what it really meant. He thought about telling him, explaining why Rei might frighten her so; he was no fool.

"Rei is a unique person," Fuyutsuki said quietly. "She meant no harm."

"I know that. What did my father do to her?"

Fuyutsuki blinked. "Shinji, you must understand-"

"Understand what? You said she's related to me. Related how? I lived with my mother's family, I don't _have_ any cousins. She can't be from my father's side of the family."

"How do you know that?" said Fuyutsuki.

"I just know."

His breath caught. He was treading on fragile ground, here.

"Your father is protective of her. He-"

"Protective? You call that protecting? She lives in a demilitarized zone!"

Fuyutsuki stood up.

"Shinji, I know you want to swoop in and save her, but you need to step back, and think. Superman can't fix everything."

The boy looked at him, and he shivered. There was so much of his mother in him.

"What else can I do? My father ordered her not to talk to me, and she started spewing 'classified' this and 'classified' that at Asuka. She _scared_ her, professor. I don't know what to do. I can't… she needs me. But, Asuka… when I saw her crying I…"

"You'll find a way, Shinji. Your mother believed in you. I believe in you."

Blinking away tears, Shinji looked him in the eye. "How could my mother marry a man like that?"

Fuyutsuki's breath caught. How the hell was he supposed to answer that?

"I don't know," said Fuyutsuki. "I don't know."

"He's a bully," said Shinji. "I don't like bullies."

He turned, and started to walk away. Fuyutsuki put a hand on his shoulder.

"Shinji, think this through-"

"I am," said Shinji. "I'm… there's something I need from you. I need to know how much Misato knows. Can I trust her?"

"I would," said Fuyutsuki. "She's a good person, Shinji, if troubled, and she doesn't know any of the deeper secrets of Nerv. I wouldn't tell her your identity, though."

"Why not? I was thinking, if I told Asuka, maybe-"

"No," Fuyutsuki said quickly. "I understand why you might think that, but you can't. It will put them both in danger. Your father isn't the top of the food chain, Shinji. There are worse, more desperate men behind him. You can't imagine how deep this goes."

"No," said Shinji. "I can't imagine, but I'm going to find out."

* * *

><p>You have been reading<p>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter Six: Pattern Recognition_


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>"Why do you keep sending him to my office?"<p>

Misato leaned back into her chair and considered Ritsuko's question. It was a rare moment they could share outside of work, and here she was, wanting to talk about nothing but work. Misato had actually kept her clothes on and shooed Pen-Pen back into his little house, so the seriousness with which she regarded Ritsuko's visit to her home was evident. Misato smirked and threw her arm over the back of her chair, twisting sideways in her seat.

She smirked. "You'll get angry with me, if I tell you."

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and looked tired. "Really?"

"I want to get him used to talking to girls. He's so _shy_."

Ritsuko took a sip of her coffee, then burst out laughing. Misato smiled.

"I am not a girl," she muttered.

"I roomed with you in college. You are most definitely a girl."

"That's not what I mean," said Ritsuko. "I'm old enough to be his… much older sister."

"That's the idea! He'll be comfortable around you, so when he talks to girls his own age, he won't be so shy and nervous. You have bigger boobs than his classmates, so it'll be easier on him. It's like trying to help someone get over a fear of spiders by putting a tarantula on them."

Ritsuko stared at her, blankly. "You're out of your mind. Also, that's not how phobia therapy works, you slowly introduce-"

"Well," said Misato, "Why shouldn't I be? I have the freakin' Secretary General of the United Nations breathing down my neck, we have this thing with Rei and Unit Zero tomorrow, I work in a secret underground base full of creepos. I like the kid. I'm trying to help him out."

"I'm surprised you're not trying to put the moves on him yourself," Ritsuko deadpanned.

"I tried, he didn't go for it. I practically throw myself at him, and I get nothing."

Ritsuko continued to stare at her.

"I'm joking. Mostly."

"Right," Ritsuko muttered into her coffee. "I admit, I don't mind. I'm astonished how intelligent he is. I taught him the basics of the AT-Field equations in a few hours."

"Really?" said Misato. "So he was trying to impress you! That's great."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes and blew her bangs out of her face. "What is it with you? Not everything has to do with sex. He might actually be interested in it. Besides, I hear he's got his heart set on someone else."

"Oh?" said Misato.

"There's a rumor going around the Eva cages that he and Asuka are, you know, a thing."

"Hah!" said Misato. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Well," said Ritsuko. "You would know. You saddled yourself with living with them."

Misato shrugged. "You know, I think she likes him a little. You better not let her hear about that, though."

"Don't worry. I'm well aware of her… temperament. I put my foot down, there won't be any more gossip about the Children among my subordinates."

"God," Misato rolled her eyes. "Listen to you, 'my subordinates'. Can't you take five minutes off?"

Ritsuko looked a little hurt at that, rocking back in her seat. "Yes. Where's your beer?"

Misato looked down at her coffee. "I, uh, I don't have any."

"What?"

"I sort of quit drinking."

Ritsuko shook her head. "Wow, you really must be overworked after all."

"It's not that. I don't worry about anything at home. Shinji takes care of it all. I don't know how he finds the time."

"Hmm," Ritsuko looked around. "I barely noticed. It definitely doesn't look like our dorm room in here."

"He can't stand clutter, I guess. So yeah, I quit drinking. For some reason, all my stupid beer was warm, and after a few days I just… I didn't feel like it anymore, you know?"

"Is that true?"

Misato looked around. "Not really. Shinji said he was worried I was drinking too much."

She sighed.

Ritsuko chewed her lower lip.

"I have to say, I'm surprised."

"Yeah," Misato said, cheerily. "On the bright side, I don't have to deal with listening to Asuka shrieking with a hangover anymore."

Ritsuko snorted.

"I do not shriek!"

Asuka came stomping into the apartment, kicked her shoes off, and stormed into the kitchen. She's unbuttoned the top of her uniform shirt and seemingly tugged at it in disgust. She ignored Ritsuko's presence and immediately removed it, almost tearing the buttons loose in her haste, as she dashed into her room.

"Asuka?" said Misato, sitting up. "Is something wrong?"

"I hate that stupid school," Asuka shouted through her door. "Why do I have to go again?"

"Why do you hate it?" said Misato, winking at Ritsuko.

"It's beneath me," Asuka snapped back. "Besides, all of the teachers are senile old lechers that fall all over themselves to stare at me when they're not blathering on about irrelevant garbage. Who decided I have to wear some stupid fetish costume to school every day? What's next, I have to pilot the Eva dressed up as a cat?"

"It's beneath you, I know," Misato leaned back in her seat, staring up at the ceiling. "I hear this every day. You're pissed about something."

"I told you already."

"Oh come on, out with it."

"Shinji's idiot troglodyte friend called me a _demon_," she snapped. "I complained, and nothing was done! The class representative yelled at him, for all the good that'll do. She's about as scary as a mouse."

"Didn't Shinji say anything?"

"No! He was too busy fawning all over that stupid doll Ayanami," she shouted, her voice twisted, practically dripping with indignation. "All he does anymore is try to talk to her, and she keeps ignoring him."

Asuka marched out of her bedroom, her uniform discarded for her short-shorts and a faded old t-shirt. She practically tore the refrigerator door loose and started milling around in the refrigerator. She stood up and rounded on Misato.

"Where's the beer?"

"You're not old enough to drink," Ritsuko observed.

"I'm sixteen," Asuka snapped back. "I drink all the time."

"You do not," said Misato.

"Yes I do. I've been old enough to drink beer for two years. Now where is it?"

Misato rolled her eyes. "I got rid of it, okay?"

Ritsuko was obviously suppressing a laugh. "Come on, Asuka. Don't push sudsy here off the wagon."

"Hey," said Misato. "That's not funny. Where's Shinji?"

Asuka shrugged as she opened a can of soda. "I don't know. He said he had to run some errand or something, he ran off right after school and left me alone with the men in black."

"You sound mad," said Ritsuko.

"I am not mad," Asuka growled. "I don't care what he does."

"She's not mad until she switches back to German. I hope he's not trying to throw himself at Rei's feet," said Misato. "The Commander would be very upset."

Ritsuko coughed. Misato ignored her.

"Like I care," Asuka said as she left the kitchen. "I'm doing my stupid homework."

"I hope Shinji gets back soon. I'm hungry," said Misato.

"Like I care what that loser does," Asuka muttered.

"Jealous," Ritsuko mouthed.

Misato grinned.

* * *

><p>Shinji felt the sun on his back and the breeze ruffling through his hair, and for a while just listened. The sounds of the city were cacophonous and discordant when he first arrived, but the longer he stayed here the more and more orderly they became, a sort of natural rhythm of honking horns and footsteps and shouting and breathing, the sound of human habitation, all layered over a droning melody of cicadas keeping the beat. Sitting on the ledge of a skyscraper and looking down on the business district, he could rest his chin on his cheek and gaze downward in a way no one else could. He didn't need to fear falling, not because he was confident of his footing, but because he simply couldn't fall at all.<p>

Things had become quiet. He didn't know if it was his presence, or the way the city seemed to be teeming with Nerv security people, but there weren't as many muggings or robberies as there had been when he first arrived. The occasional car accident drew his attention. Sometimes he worried that he was limiting himself, not going far enough, maybe that he should find a place where there was real danger, a real need for him, as he did now when he watched the tiny figures under his feet moving in their own orderly way through the air that charged and lived in their presence, painted by the swirling colors of their heat signatures and breath and the strange aura of fuzzy lights he saw around all living things now.

Some of those people down there might have been alive because of him. There were others, somewhere out there, who may not have been, because he focused his attention here, because…

The thought caught in his throat. There were people he cared about here, and he didn't want them to die. He hadn't meant to think of Misato as his friend, hadn't really meant to trust her, but it just sort of happened, something he fell into like fate. The same was true with Asuka. For all her bluster he could see it every time he looked at her, that moment when she realized someone was watching her and started lashing out, even if it was just to carry herself or look back a certain way. He had no idea what to make of her, except to wonder what could have wounded her so badly. The tiny moments of kindness she showed him from time to time baffled him even more, not so much by their existence but because each one made him want so badly for the others to stretch out a little longer.

In the end, he wasn't looking to judge himself for spending his days here, and not somewhere else. Everyone said the world would end if the angels succeeded in doing whatever they wanted to do, the brief message from his father had said something about them, even. There was no place else for him to be, really, so why was he looking for a way out? Did he want to run away?

"I mustn't run away," he said.

A pigeon noisily flapped up to the edge of the roof and lighted beside him, and then trundled near, bobbing its head. It might as well have been nodding in agreement. Haltingly, he reached out and ran his fingers over its head, unconcerned for disease or dirt. The bird closed its eyes tightly and enjoyed having its head scratched, and took a few steps closer to him when he pulled his hand away. It folded its feet beneath itself and looked down beside him, the movement curiously human, as if it wanted to see what he was looking at.

"What do you think?"

The bird stared at him for an instant, head twitching this way and that, and then it dropped off the roof and awkwardly flapped away. Shinji stared at his fingers, saw no microbes crawling across the folds of his fingerprints, and went back to leaning on his hand.

He let out a long sigh. He couldn't run away. He stood up and walked to where he'd left his school uniform and dress shoes tucked into his bag, and started stripping off his costume. He was a little annoyed. The pieces he'd made from the fabric from the canister his mother left him were fine, but his jeans had holes around his knees and tiny holes around the pockets, and the cuffs were frayed. His boots were a mess, with missing eyelets and creased leather and a gash on one of the soles that had widened to the point where the heel might fall off, soon. The treads were worn down to nubs from grinding them into asphalt. After he'd pulled on his slacks, he held up the offending garment and looked through some parts of it to see blue sky, and he didn't even need to concentrate on seeing through it. He would have to replace it all, soon. He needed something more formal looking anyway, some kind of jumpsuit, maybe.

He came down not far from the apartment, checking first from high enough above to make sure that there were none of Asuka's security detail around to spot him landing. It was a risk coming down in his civilian clothes, but he wasn't especially worried. Someone sneaking up on him deserved to catch him, he supposed. He shrugged the back over his shoulder and stepped out of the alley, then lightly jogged the rest of the way home, fast but not fast enough for anyone to notice had they come across him. He was alone, though. There was no symphony of human habitation here, only the drone of cicadas and the half-heard voices of the apartment and the security agents sitting around it and outside. One of them waved idly to him as he trotted up the stairs. He took the stairwell over the elevator up to his floor, since he was faster on foot, anyway. He was tempted to just jump up to the right floor, but some instinct prevented it.

He heard voices in the apartment, and was surprised to see the back of Doctor Akagi's blonde-coiffed head as he peered into the kitchen. He slipped his shoes off and slipped into his room.

"Hey you," Misato called out, "where have you been?"

"Oh," said Shinji. "I was just, ah,"

"What?" said Misato. "Running an errand?"

"Yeah?"

"Okay," said Misato. "What about dinner?"

After he'd successfully tucked his shirt and cape away in the space under the lining of his cello case, he slipped out and closed the door. Asuka was in her room, hunched over some homework or other, her face scrunched concentration. He walked into the kitchen, not sure what to expect.

"Ritsuko will be joining us for dinner tonight," said Misato.

"Actually," Akagi sighed, "I have to get back to work. Prepping for the test."

Misato pouted, theatrically, but waved a hand dismissively.

Akagi turned to him. "Would you walk me out?"

Misato eyed him, suppressing a smile, and he felt himself blushing in spite of herself. "If you want," he said, fighting off the urge to cringe at how awkward he sounded.

He waited patiently as she put on her jacket, then slipped on his shoes and opened the door for her. He didn't say anything as the waited for the elevator, and neither did she. To his surprise, when the doors closed, she pushed the hold button, and exhaled slowly.

She stared at him for a moment, as if studying his face.

"Shinji," said quietly. "I need you listen to me."

He swallowed. "Uh, okay?"

"Rei is off limits. Stay away from her."

He looked at her for a moment. There wasn't any menace in her tone.

"But-"

"I mean it," she cut him off, more insistent than before. She folded her arms over her chest. "Look, I know you mean well. When your father ordered her not to talk to you, he meant it."

"I wouldn't put her in a position to-"

Akagi shook her head. "You don't understand. It's not about her, it's about your father. I don't know why he doesn't want you around her, but if he made it known to the entire organization, he means business."

"I'm not afraid of him," Shinji said, almost angrily. He realized he'd clenched his fists and slowly unflexed his fingers.

Akagi looked at him for a long moment. There was pity in her voice, and quite a bit of real fear. "I am. You should be, too."

She pushed the button for the ground floor. "My car is just outside. Thank you, Shinji."

The doors opened, and he leaned against the wall of the elevator. She stopped in the door itself, standing on the threshold, but didn't turn back.

"You can still come to my office," she said quietly. "Just be careful. I don't want you to be hurt."

He nodded, and she left without further comment. The doors slid closed, and he waited a moment before he pressed the button to go back upstairs. He needed to compose himself, or he might push it right through the wall.

* * *

><p>Rei was beginning to think there was something wrong with her. She wondered if she should report it to the Commander.<p>

When she looked at her new identification card, freshly issued, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. When she looked up at the wall, however, her jaw went slack and her eyes almost lost focus as the sheer complexity of it overwhelmed her. Her apartment was now papered in loose leaf, printouts, and old newspaper clippings, running from floor to ceiling along the wall where she kept her small desk, and the pattern had been to flower onto the ceiling as well, spreading like a fungus. It had become too complex for the yarn, so she discarded it, leaving it a fuzzy blue pile at the foot of her bed. It was no longer required. The clippings seemed to pulse and move in her vision, folding and melding into one another, the connections between the information a living thing that had a mind of its own. Even more, now, it tugged at her. The conclusions it led to were inevitable, but even then deeper, more complex meaning unfolded from it. An impulse teased at her mind, a need to complete the picture and fully understand it, to hold it in her mind and view it from all the angles.

Her alarm clock went off. She hadn't slept. It wasn't out of nervousness or concern over the reactivation test of Unit Zero, but in answer to her need to understand. Each node of information arrayed out before her commanded her to find five more, to grow and tend the pattern like a garden. She stood up and silenced the alarm without looking at it, nearly brushing it off the table. She put her identification card down next to her computer and started dressing herself. She chose components of a school uniform at random, assigning no individual shirt or pair of stockings any weight. She wore the uniform not because she was attending school but because she had nothing else. It took her only a few moments to dress. Her scalp itched, and she scratched it. A few pale flakes of white skin drifted in front of her eyes.

The Commander would not approve. She walked barefoot, curling her toes away from the cool tile of the bathroom floor, and leaned over the tiny sink, quickly scrubbing her fingernails through her hair to tease out the rest of the dandruff, then more carefully stroked it into a more manageable position. She saw no purpose in maintaining it other than to keep it out of her eyes. Why the Second Child chose to wear her hair so long when it would interfere with her combat ability, Rei did not know. The Second Child was, in fact, a mystery to her.

She went through the mechanical motions of preparing her morning meal. It was as if her fingers and hands knew what to do, tending the toaster and searching out the jam in the refrigerator without true thought. As she did each morning, she began artfully arranging the various pills and tablets she would swallow after eating, always after eating. As she moved she thought of the Second Child and her curious reaction to Rei. The appearance of Superman had provided her with more data to construct the meaning of the interaction, the tools to build her understanding.

He knew where to find her, knew her name, and addressed her in a strangely familiar fashion. He mentioned her being familiar to him, which implied that he knew someone similar to Rei. There was only one person similar to Rei. His concern for the Second Child drew the pattern tighter, like a sudden tug on a complex knot, and it began to take shape. He had approached Rei out of misplaced concern for her, but also out of concern to the Second Child. His words, combined with Rei's recollection of the Second's peculiar movements, tone, and facial expressions, implied that she was frightened by Rei and, somehow, Superman had learned this.

He was someone in contact with Nerv. The pattern demanded it. Almost unconsciously, she considered height, weight, hair color, bringing up, evaluating, and rejecting each candidate. He was male, which narrowed down the selections. She considered everyone, leaning no stone unturned. With his slender build, youthfulness, and blue eyes, the number of candidates further restricted itself.

Almost without realizing, Rei brought to her hand to her mouth, tipped back a mouthful of water, and bobbed her head back, swallowing the entire course of medications in a single, throaty gulp. She stared at the water glass for a moment, and put it down, trying to remember when she had picked it up. She burped, and tasted the unpleasant flavor of the casings of the capsules she had swallowed.

A moment ago, she had been thinking about something, and was so close to an important thought. She knew it.

She picked up the identification card, slipped on her shoes, and left the apartment door wide as she headed towards the staff car waiting outside.

* * *

><p>Asuka timed it just right, walking into the locker room as Rei emerged. Having gone to school on his own, Shinji had actually left early, slipping out of the apartment while both Asuka and Misato were still asleep, but not before preparing both breakfast <em>and <em>lunch for each of them. Asuka had absently carried her lunch in a paper sack until Misato took it from here and put it God knew where, since Asuka didn't bother with such minor details.

Ayanami walked past her in her shining white plugsuit, and it only accentuated the strange effect of her skin, making it seem she was made of porcelain. The suit was unique to her but was also different in design, especially around the chest and upper back section, bulkier and less streamlined than the more refined version Asuka would wear. It briefly occurred to her that she still wore red suits marked '02', despite the change in her piloting status.

As she passed, Ayanami looked at her dully, not taking much interest. Asuka brushed past her without speaking or meeting her gaze, and made sure not to look back, either. She quickly made her way to her chosen locker and opened it, finding the shrink-wrapped suit inside. Since she wasn't going to school, she'd worn her simple yellow sun dress, which made it easy to simply shrug out of her clothes and then slip out of her underthings and socks. She had the suit on in mere minutes, brushing her hair out from the back before hitting the switch to compress it around her body. She still waited, hoping to put a bit more distance between herself and the First Child before leaving the locker room.

When she emerged, she froze in her tracks, stopping nearly in mid-step, a freshly caught breath sticking in her throat and refusing to leave. Commander Ikari passed her, silent and ghost-like, without taking particular notice of her. When he was out of earshot, she let out a quiet, strangled sigh, and walked out a few more paces towards the cage. The Commander walked with his hands thrust in his pockets, deliberately fixing his gaze straight ahead in a sort of practiced indifference, dominating the world around him simply by being in it. A peculiar thought tickled the back of her mind.

Shinji was nothing like his father.

The Commander headed towards the gantry that led to Unit Zero and the confinement cage where it would be tested. Asuka's role was simple; she'd wait in Unit One while Zero was activated, so that she could help restrain it if it went berserk. The idea of an idea going berserk was foreign to her. Unit Two had never so much as proven difficult to synch with. The oddities with Unit One could all be explained. The prototype must have been unstable somehow, weakened by some flaw in the design. As she watched, the Commander stopped, in front of Ayanami.

The girl looked up at him, and _beamed._ Asuka was already unnerved, but the Commander said something to her and the look of adoration on her face broke into an actual smile. Ayanami folded her hands over her chest in girlish glee at whatever she was hearing, and animatedly began chatting with her superior.

It took Asuka a moment to realize she was hyperventilating.

She broke into a run, each time the sole of her foot slipped on the metal sending an unpleasant jolt up her leg, until the Commander and that _creature_ were out of sight, hidden behind the bulk of Unit One. The entry plug and the side of the Eva had been cleared and left open for her. She stopped to lean on the rail a bit, watching her red-tinged reflection in the gently lapping pool of chilled LCL that surrounded the Eva. When her hands stopped shaking, she was able to force herself to loosen her grip, and the plugsuit's gloves squeaked a little. She turned, took a breath, and headed up to the plug. She sat on the edge, swung her legs inside, and slid down to take her seat.

No one seemed to pay her any mind during synchronization. As the colors flashed, her ratio and the other relevant data were read off by a bored sounding technician. She felt the strange sliding sensation of the Eva taking root in her spine, the rush of sensation as its nervous system came into synchronization with hers, and the rush of its huge body around her, weighed down by the armor. She saw through its eyes, as well, and it saw things she could not. It saw Unit Zero staring at her from a cross the cages, cyclopean, pale like its pilot, and one-eyed. It was definitely a different design from the other Evas, being more hunched, the armor lighter, and the shoulder pylons absent.

All she had to do is sit back and wait, on standby. She flipped through the communications channels, but they were all static. Presumably, they didn't want her listening in as the activated the other Eva. She stopped before she brought up the direct feed to Ayanami, her hand hovering over an imaginary control. Her hands drifted to her lap and she leaned her head back into the seat. Her eyelids started to droop, but she forced them open. It would be no use if she fell asleep, since the synchronization would be lost and she'd be useless in an emergency. She forced herself to sit up and leaned on her hand. Movement through LCL without the rush of combat was sluggish, like moving through water, and she suddenly felt annoyed by it.

Looking across the cage, she saw the other Eva stiffen, its head lifting slightly. An odd intelligence came into that single eye, and she saw the mechanical innards of it swirling as the artificial gaze focused on her. Unit Zero was active, and it was looking at her. She controlled the impulse to wave at it, and even as she did, Unit One's arm twitched ever so slightly. She watched as Unit Zero detached from the armor bolts and the bridge before it retracted. The sleek orange Evan took a few steps forward, wading through the chest-high LCL, pushing out a great wave of it that made Unit One rock on its heels. A moment later, it started backing up, and the head turned in a curiously human motion as it fixed itself back to the wall.

Without warning, the LCL pool began to drain, and Unit One's weight shifted onto its feet. Asuka tensed, drawing the feelings closer, and reflexively freed herself from the wall. Misato appeared in her vision in a hovering circle superimposed over her eyesight by the Eva's systems.

"Asuka," said Misato, her voice tight with tension. "Get ready."

"What is it? Is there something wrong with the test?"

"No. It' an angel, and it's _big."_

* * *

><p>Shinji first heard the sound a few moments before everyone else. Judging by their reactions, the other students didn't hear it so much as feel it. For him, it was like a pounding screech, so piercing and shrill it made his teeth rattle in his mouth. Already on edge, unable to formulate an excuse to get himself down to the base during the activation test, the sound almost made him jump out of his seat, and his knees hit the top of his desk, almost jumping his laptop to the floor. He caught it, and both Toji and Kensuke stared at him. Fortunately, before either of them noticed he'd knocked the top of his desk loose, the actual sound flooded the room, and there was a sudden panic.<p>

It lasted only a moment, but it was enough to get everyone else out of their seats. The students rushed to the window, and only a moment later, the evacuation alarm began winding up, and Shinji felt a sudden chill. Hikari was on the balls of her feet, shouting for the students to move to the shelter. The teacher stood uselessly behind the front desk, lecture notes grasped in his hands.

"Come on," said Shinji, tugging at Toji's arm. "Let's help her."

Toji blinked, the nodded. "Hey!" he shouted, "Let's go!"

Shinji joined him, moving down the window, until finally the class started to move. He drifted to the back of the class as they filed out of the room, joining the other groups of students. Glancing from side to side, he let himself fall out of the line, a few paces behind the hurrying group, and then ducked out of the main hall. He spared another glance to make sure no one had seem him peel off, trotted down the hall to the stairs, and when the stairwell door close, lifted up to rooftop level, skipping the stairs themselves entirely. He pushed out into the afternoon sun, found where he'd stashed his costume earlier, and began to change.

The sound washed over him again, and he stumbled. A cold ball formed in the pit of his stomach as he pulled the tight shirt of his costume down over his body and started slipping into the jeans. He fumbled to lace his boots as the sound flooded across him again, making him tighten his jaw. When he was fully dressed, he took to a running start and jumped off the ledge of the roof, lifting off into the sky.

He went for altitude first, and the world flattened out beneath him, bending from the illusions of distance. As it opened up, he saw the angel skimming over the Ashi lakes, floating towards the city and making its regular chirping sounds, seemingly on every frequency at once. He stared at it in sheer confusion for a moment. It didn't even seem like it was alive. It was immense, by far the biggest moving object he'd ever been, and it would easily overshadow a large section of the city. Its body had no living features at all, no eyes nor nose nor mouth, nor even an indication of them, being an octahedron composed of flat planes of slightly transparent, glassy material. The core was visible, pulsing away in its very center. When he focused on it, he could see it emitting light, too, again on every frequency at once. As it moved through the air, it became a mobile aurora of light, as if it meant to overawe the sun.

He had no idea what to even do, and he was legitimately beginning to worry. The sound pulsed again, and it was starting to hurt, now, actually pain him in his ears. The sensation was so unfamiliar it took him a moment to remember what it was, suffering through it like an infant with an earache. He was actually clasping his hands to the side of his head by the time the next pulse ended.

"I need to think this through," he said, out loud.

Before he had the chance, Unit One rumbled forth from the launch gate, and sprinted for the nearest weapons cache. He started to move, and found himself veering off course. The sound became a screech, so loud he could feel it his chest. The angel broke, shattered like a diamond under a jeweler's pick struck wrong, and the pieces moved and slammed back together into a new shape, a great pointed wedge aimed at the heart of the city, where Unit One stood, feet planted wide apart, rifle shouldered. Asuka opened fire.

Her slugs disappeared in the oncoming wave of the angel's power. The aura of energy around it multiplied, doubling and doubling on itself into a second sun, and Shinji had to press his eyes shut, and even then he saw the ghosts of its passage on the inside of his eyelids. The beam swept through the city, turning a skyscraper into a flooding mass of molten slag, like a candle flash-melting after being tossed into a fire. The beam barely missed as Unit One dodged, dropping the rifle and rolling to one side. The beam swept to follow her, and she wasn't fast enough.

Though the sound was enough to make thin streams of blood trickle from his ears, he heard Asuka's scream of pain and terror perfectly. He opened his eyes, closed them again, and without a moment of hesitation, dove for the beam. He could feel the heat on his skin as he approached, even as the air closed around him, buffeted his body, and burst outwards again as he broke the sound barrier. He kept his eyes pressed tightly shut as the searing heat enveloped him, and the moment he made contact it shoved him along, like a fish caught in a great river current. Trying to move against it felt like swimming upstream. He could only tell where Unit One was from the scream he heard within it. He moved as best he could to put himself between the angel and the Eva, and was rudely shoved towards it. He chanced to open his eyes.

Unit One was melting. Its face was a mass of molten metal, the umbilical had simply been vaporized, and though Asuka had the presence of mind to raise her arms to shield herself, the armored plating was already growing red hot. He could see the open launch gate not far from where she stood. He almost turned towards the angel again but if he did, he was blind, the light pouring into his eyes so hot it drowned out everything else. He let the current push him towards the Eva, rolled over the shoulder, and put his fingers into the armor plating at the top of its back, silently, inwardly praying it would hold. Unit One started to sag, and he felt it pull against his fingers. He turned, twisting the entire weight of the Eva under his grasp, and started to pull.

Unit One sagged backwards, arms falling to her sides, and he pushed as much as pulled, guiding the great bulk until, far beneath him, the machine's heavy feet slid out into the open air of the launch tube. The weight of it fell on him all at once, pressing him down, and he stopped screaming only to grit his teeth with effort, guiding it down through the shaft. It was too far, and if he let it drop without the protective reinforcement of her AT-Field, Asuka would be killed. The weight grew heavier and heavier as he drifted downwards, until at last he was close enough that he could relax and let the Eva settle into a seated position at the bottom of the cage.

It was the first time he'd been in the Geofront in costume. There were probably a thousand cameras pointed at him, but he ignored all that, moving with focus across the Eva's shoulders. He shoved Unit One's head forward through main strength, pressing his feet into the armored plating and pushing with his hands, until he found the emergency plug release. The plug slid out half way, stuck from the thermal expansion. He put his fingers through and yanked it open, peeling it apart with a screech of twisting, protesting metal.

Asuka lay inside, spread out unconscious across the seat. His breath caught before he realized he could hear her heart beating. Her face was beet red, as though from an intense day in the sun, and her breath came in ragged gasps, expelling dribbles of LCL over her chin. Gently, he folded her over his arms and let her head fall on his shoulder, and jumped from the Eva's shoulder to the cage floor.

Relief flooded through him as he saw Misato running towards him, followed by medics with a rolling hospital bed. She said nothing as he passed her and laid Asuka out on the bed, carefully cradling her head with his hand as he rested her there. A thin trickle of blood ran down her upper lip from her nose, mingling with the fluid from the plug still wet on her face. He stepped back as the corpsmen crowded around her.

He stood next to Misato for a moment.

"I think she's okay," he said, quietly. "I didn't see any swelling in her brain. It just knocked her out from the pressure."

She stared at him. "You're a mess."

He glanced down at himself. His cape was hanging from around his neck in tattered threads, and there were great gashes in his shirt, which had pulled apart from the tension, exposing the skin beneath. There was barely enough of his pants left to call him decent, and his boots were completely missing except for rings of charred leather hanging around his ankles. He swallowed.

"Uh," he said, "sorry."

"Thank you," Misato said softly. "I tried to stop her, but she insisted on grabbing the rifle and-"

Shinji rested his hand on her shoulder. "You did everything you could. You can't blame yourself for this."

She blinked, and stared at him for a long moment. She kept looking at his exposed chest.

"Uh," he said, "I think I should go."

A big man in a dark suit was running towards him, footsteps echoing in the cage. Shinji recognized him; it was Yoshida, from the airport, the security chief who'd pushed him around. He was shouting.

"Katsuragi, you incompetent buffoon! I'll have your job for this!"

Shinji put himself between Misato and Yoshida.

"Leave her alone," he said, firmly.

Faster than he would have believed from the man's size, there was a gun pointed at him. Shinji looked at him for a moment, and then sighed, more in resignation than anything else. He focused on just the barrel for an instant, and Yoshida dropped it with a help, grasping at his hand. Shinji caught it, looked at it, and folded it into a ball with his fingers.

"I know you Nerv people think you can push anyone around, but that doesn't fly with me."

With his other hand, Yoshida fished in his pocket, and pulled out a radio.

"Get the blast doors on the launch tube closed. Don't let him out."

Shinji rubbed his face with his hand, glanced at Misato, and took off, pushing straight up as hard as he could. He felt the backlash from the sonic boom as he slid up the launch tube and passed between the closing doors and twisted to watch the angel. It paid no attention him at all, and had taken up a position directly over the city, its original shape returned, except that it had extruded out a thin sliver of itself out and was drilling into the roof of the Geofront.

He started to move towards it, but the shrill screech began, and he backed off. Instead, he headed low over the rooftops until he found the apartment, which was thankfully unmanned by security agents. He circled it, looking through the walls to be sure, and then landed on the balcony. The door slid open and he stumbled inside and sat down on the couch, meaning to rest for just a moment. When he felt sleep tugging at him, he shakily stood up, and looked around. He needed a replacement for his clothes, and he needed it fast. He slipped into his bedroom and looked around, despairing. Inside his desk drawer his sewing kit waited, but he despaired of it. No stitch would hold against the tension of the strange fabric stretched across his chest, and his pants were hopeless. He looked around a moment more, and his eyes fell on the cello case.

Gingerly, he pulled it open and lifted out the still shrinkwrapped plugsuit Akagi had given him. He tore the package and let it unfold in his hands, limp like a second skin, and looked through it. It was the right color, if he took the electronics out and removed the white chest piece. It might work, but first he needed to find what he came here for.

He needed a change of clothes, and he needed an excuse to be in the Geofront.

* * *

><p>Misato paced outside Asuka's room, watching through the glass as the doctors moved around her. Superman was right- there wasn't any permanent damage, but she had a full body sunburn. It was a combination of the heat and the sympathetic connection to the Eva. Her body actually burned<em> itself<em> to replicate the damage being done to the Eva's body. Unit One's helmet and optics were a ruin, and it would be weeks until it was at maximum fighting efficiency again. She stopped to try to suppress the urge to cough, such was the pit of ice in her stomach. She was glad she hadn't eaten yet, for fear of throwing up. An absurd thought occurred to her. Asuka had never gotten her lunch.

Finally, Misato was able to enter the room. They had her on a saline drip, and they'd applied a liberal coating of skin cream to her face, probably to soothe the burning when she woke up. She looked almost peaceful in sleep, the way the tension seemed to drain out of her face. With her hair down and spread across the bed, she looked the way she did when she was a little girl under Misato's watch back in Germany.

Slowly, she turned and left the room. There was nothing to do, now. She had to put together her resources and come up with a plan to fight off the most powerful angel yet, using the buggiest, most dangerous Evangelion, piloted by the lest capable pilot. She barely noticed Shinji, until he bumped into her and stopped her in her tracks. She stared at him for a second, confused, and picked at his identification card, which he had clipped to the shirt pocket of his school uniform.

He adjusted his glasses.

"Uh, hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I was outside of the shelter and…"

"Not what I meant," said Misato, "but now that you bring it up, you weren't in the shelter? Are you crazy?"

"No, I…"

He looked past her, at Asuka. Misato followed his gaze, and her lips upturned in the faintest of smiles.

"Oh. Just let her sleep, will you? Maybe get her something to eat if she wakes up."

"Are you sure you don't need me to-"

She shook her head. "No, Shinji. Stay with Asuka. I'll be back."

As she walked away, she glanced over her shoulder. He limped a little, and he looked a bit rough around the edges, his eyes a little bloodshot. She didn't remember him having such a deep tan, either, but it must have been the lighting.

Before she entered the elevator, she paused to lean on the wall for a moment, holding the door open with her hand. How the hell were they supposed to deal with something like this? She took a breath, stepped inside, and hit the button. She had to meet with Ritsuko and her staff and figure out what the hell to do, and get an idea of the situation. The door closed, and she slumped against the wall. When the door opened, she weakly stood up and made her way down the hall. The smell of cigarettes was already wafting out of the lab.

Ritsuko was sitting with her had cradled in her hands, and her assistants all looked uncomfortable. Misato grabbed a desk chair, spun it around, and sat down, leaning on the back.

"Okay, what's it doing?"

Hyuga stood up and looked at his folder. "The angel has extruded a drill bit that's tunneling into the Geofront. It's already breached three layers of plate. At the current speed, we have about eighteen hours until it breaches the armor, just around three in the morning.

Misato sighed. "What are our options."

Ritsuko sat up. "Unit Zero is not combat ready. We just brought it out of containment, and Rei is too far behind on her training."

"Yeah," said Misato. "Being melted wouldn't exactly be good for her health, either. Asuka should wake up soon, but I don't want to put too much pressure on her, either. She would have been killed…" she trailed off.

"If it hadn't been for Superman," Maya said, quietly. "Maybe we could…"

"No," said Ritsuko, "and that's final. We can't plan on him showing up again. The Commander's orders are clear on that matter."

"It's completely wiped out our defenses," said Aoba, folding his arms over his chest. He looked at the projections on Ritsuko's screens. "We could try repairing Unit One and setting up a defense inside the cavern."

"The same thing would happen," said Misato. "Anything approaching this thing is toast."

"Why isn't it using its beam to drill into the Geofront?" said Maya. "That seems like it'd be a lot faster."

Misato blinked, and sat up. "Wait. Defenses…"

"Of course," said Ritsuko. "It doesn't _have_ any defenses. It must have some kind of an upper limit on that beam. If it were using it to assault our static defense and we attacked it…"

"So it's playing it safe," said Misato, "Saving itself up for when we attack again. What do we know about this beam?"

Ritsuko turned around and started furious typing at her console. "It's a broad spectrum energy beam- not really focused, not really a laser. The visible light was only part of it. It's dumping microwave, ulvtra-violet, infra-red, basically the whole spectrum onto the target."

"So it's light," said Misato. "Wouldn't it diffuse?"

"Judging by this data, yes. Over a distance, the beam is weaker. An Eva might be able to take it if it were positioned, oh, let's say ten kilometers away, but not indefinitely."

"Right," said Misato. "That's why it waited to attack, and didn't just bombard us from space or burn right into the Geofront. It has limits."

"I see what you're getting at," said Hyuga. "We need to set up something that can take it out, far enough away that it won't attack us until it's too late."

"We don't have anything remotely like that," said Ritsuko. "I don't think the pallet gun shells are doing to do enough damage, especially at that range. We have a particle beam rifle in the works, but the project was canceled. The committee cut the budget."

"Of course they did," said Misato. "I wonder if…"

"What?"

Misato's eyes widened, and she smiled a sly smile. "I have an _idea._"

* * *

><p>Asuka blinked herself awake, and winced. Everywhere her skin tensed as she moved hurt, as if she'd spent hours in the sun without sunscreen. She sat up, and the movement of the sheets against her bare skin made her wince a breath in through her teeth. Gingerly, she touched her face, and when she drew her hand back, a thin white scale of dried skin clung to her fingertips. Her eyes went wide. She didn't even realized what she'd shouted by the time the word escaped her lips.<p>

"Shinji!"

He came running into the room, and flicked on the light. She drew back and threw her forearm over her eyes, and the other arm over her chest, even though she was wearing a hospital gown. Touching the fabric to her arm, and to her chest, hurt, and she winced.

"Are you okay?" said Shinji.

"No, I'm not okay! What the hell are you doing in here? Trying to get a peek at me?"

"No! You called me!"

"Oh."

He scratched his head. "Um, can I get you something?"

"A mirror."

He blinked.

"Now!"

He turned and rushed out of the room, and she leaned forward to sit on her knees, wincing as the ties of the hospital gown pulled at her skin. She sat for a while, staring at the wall until he returned with a woman's makeup compact. She glanced at him as he held it out, wondering where he'd gotten the courage to talk to an actual woman to get it. She flipped it open, looked at herself, and screamed.

Her face was as red as a beet, and under her eyes on her cheeks, she had white flakes, like from a day old sunburn. She had to force herself back into a neutral expression, since raising her eyebrows hurt like hell. Shinji waited patiently, something folded under his arm.

"Where's Misato?" Asuka growled.

"Overseeing the transport operation," said Shinji.

She snapped the mirror shut and stared down at the sheets.

"What 'transport operation'?"

"Unit Zero is picking up some kind of weapon. She called it a positron cannon, or something. They're going to mate it to parts from some Eva weapon, and you have to fire it at the Angel."

"I see," said Asuka. She sighed. "That makes sense. What's that…"

She glanced at the package under his arm, a shrink-wrapped red plugsuit.

"You're kidding," she growled.

"Um," said Shinji.

She nodded at the suit. "They expect me to put that on, over this. My skin hurts. It just _hurts_."

He fished around in his pocket, and drew out a small container with a screw-lid. "They said this will help."

Asuka plucked the container from his grasp and screwed away the lid. It was some kind of cream, with a slight red tinge.

"It has LCL in it. It'll help your skin heal."

She looked at him, and then sniffed the ointment. "This is rank."

"Better than a full body sunburn," he shrugged.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Okay, drop the suit and get out. I'm putting it on now."

"Asuka?" he said, as he stood in the door.

"What?"

"Are you…"

"Yes," she said testily, smearing the first of the cream on her nose.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I could try piloting again."

She froze. "What did you say?"

"I could try…"

"Why?" she growled. "Think you'll do better?"

He looked at her for a long, quiet moment. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

She watched him go, staring at the space he left in the door for a while before she got up, painfully limped to the door, and closed it, then made sure the blinds on the window out into the hall were closed, too. She put the ointment down and strained to reach the ties on the back of her gown, wincing at the stretching of her skin.

When it was loose enough she shrugged out of it, and bit her lip. Just having the cool air on her skin hurt. She started slopping the ointment on, beginning with her face, all the way down her calves and the soles of her feet, before she slipped into the suit. She pulled up as she did normally, but when she tried to reach around to her back to put some of the ointment on, her hand started to shake from the pain before she could reach her own skin except for a feeble daub of it.

She stood clutching the front of the suit to her chest for a full minute before she decided she had no choice but to bite the bullet.

"Washout," she called. "I know you're out there. Get in here."

Gingerly, he opened the door and peeked inside, and his eyes went wide as the color drained from his face. He swallowed and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"You ah, you need help with the suit, I guess."

"Yes," she said testily, but before that I need you to… to… putthestuffonmyback," she spat it all out at once.

He went from white as a ghost to beet red in the span of a heartbeat. She was surprised he didn't have a heart attack, then and there. She rolled her eyes. "Look, this is a necessity. Let's get it over with. If I catch you staring at my ass, I swear I'll kill you."

He made a show of closing his eyes tightly, and walked over to her as she turned around. Gingerly, he corded her hair up in his hands and put it over her shoulder, and she glanced over at him to make sure his eyes were still shut. She held out the jar and he took it, putting the first of it on his fingers. He started at the nape of her neck and she winced from the touch and the cold, and the sudden relief that came with it. He stopped.

"I, uh,"

"Shut up, and keep going."

She shivered as he traced his fingers down her spine, then back up over her flanks and under her shoulder blades, massaging the ointment into her skin around her shoulders. It didn't take long, and it was a blessed relief. He swallowed.

"Do you, umm, I don't think I should go any, umm, any lower, I mean-"

"I did that," she said quietly. "Thank you. Hold the suit up while I compress it."

He did, lifting it up against her back until she hit the switch and it hissed tightly around her, surprisingly to her utter relief. She let out a long breath as she released the tension, and turned around, letting her hair fall back behind her as she reached for her nerve clips.

"You know," he said absently, "You look a lot better without those."

She stared at him for a second. "They're standard operating equipment, and _I like them._ When I want fashion advice from you, I'll ask for it."

He shrugged, and his shoulders sank a little. "I guess I should go, now."

"I…" she started, but her breath caught.

He turned around and headed for the door, and stopped.

"I meant what I said, before. Are you sure…"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes.

"Please, be careful."

She bit her lip. He walked out, pulling the door shut behind him. Asuka let out a long breath and fell against the little side table, leaning on it to support her weight. Her legs felt like jelly, and it wasn't from anticipation of the battle, if anything she was annoyed by having to pilot the damn thing again so soon. What the hell was wrong with her?

Before she could divine the answer, Ayanami walked into the room, just barged right in without saying anything and strolled right up. She tilted her head to one side, appraisingly, and said, "You are distressed."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. Your breathing is irregular, your eyes are twitching and your posture suggests-"

"Shut up," Asuka snapped.

Ayanami blinked. "I am sorry. I am also experiencing stress."

Asuka looked flatly at her as she stood up from the table. "No you're not. Dolls don't feel stress. The Commander just turns a little key on your back, and off you go."

Ayanami ignored her. "Operation Yashima will commence at 2:49 AM. Preparations are currently nearing completion. Your presence will be required at the transport no later than 1 AM."

Asuka looked around. No clock.

"What time is it now?"

"Twelve thirty," said Ayanami. "We should report now."

Asuka glared at her. "You talk like a robot."

Ayanami tilted her head to the side again. "I see."

"Let's go," said Asuka, "I want this over with."

* * *

><p>"I need a drink," Misato said to the air, glad no one was in earshot.<p>

The operation was immense- she'd never coordinated something so damned huge before. The last of the transformers, big power converters the size of a small house, were still rolling up towards the forward fire base on huge flatbed trucks of a dozen different makes and configurations, a motley pirate army of commandeered commercial vehicles. She had to beg, borrow, call in the United Nations, and intimidate a few people to get it all working. Strangest of all was Unit Zero.

Having Rei move around in the Eva was risk, but so far the angel had simply ignored them. Looking up at it, Misato wondered. She'd seen an Eva move around before, but never out in the wild this way, striding across a mountain. To see it with her own eyes brought the sense of scale to reality and made it eerie, unnerving, like it didn't belong in the world around it. Rei was positioning the positron gun and completing the last of the assembly- the fine work had already been done with human hands, and now she was holding together the parts of the cobbled together sniper rifle with the Eva's hands, working alongside scurrying technicians with surprising deftness. The thought of working on something with fingers as big as a person moving right next to her unnerved her a little. She had to give those men credit, and Rei, too, for managing it.

She stood on a walkway overlooking it all, watching the motion of machines in the dark. She ordered the site kept mostly unlit, light directed only where necessary, to avoid the creature's attention. Asuka was standing not far away, leaning on the rail in her plugsuit and a bathrobe, watching, glaring at Unit Zero. Misato moved closer to her and leaned on the rail. The girl didn't glance at her.

Misato traced her line of vision to Unit Zero.

"Don't like competition, huh?"

"I don't like her," Asuka said quietly. "She's…"

"What?"

"She like a doll."

Misato stopped herself from standing bolt upright. Her stomach seized, and she felt the color drain from her face. She couldn't deal with this now. These kids were going to be depending on each other for their lives in an hour, and even worse, Asuka had used _that word._

Doll.

Misato drew in a breath. Think.

"I feel sorry for her, sometimes," said Misato. "I don't see her that much."

Asuka turned her head slightly. "You've never seen her apartment?"

"No, should I?"

Asuka shrugged.

"She reminds me of myself at that age."

Asuka turned to her and stood up, her eyes wide. "What, you? No way."

Misato looked at her. "You know what happened to me."

Asuka blushed a little, but it was hard to see with the deep tan she'd gotten.

"I overheard you talking about it with… with Kaji."

"After they found me, I didn't talk for almost eight years. I was the quiet girl at the back of the class everyone ignored, even after the let me out of the hospital."

"I can't believe that," said Asuka.

"It's true. Ritsuko was the one to bring me out of my shell. She was a lot like you in her youth."

Asuka stared at her blankly.

"I'd hate to be someone's doll," said Asuka.

Misato leaned on the rail again, and smiled to herself.

* * *

><p>Rei stood up, and in Unit Zero, she towered over everything. Piloting almost felt foreign to her- before today, she had never actually done it, the second had. She stepped carefully over Unit One. A secondary view appeared on the holographic screen in front of her, showing Soryu approaching the plug and overlaying her vital statistics and a feed on her life signs from her plugsuit. Rei continued on, walking across the clearing, careful not to let the Eva's feet slip in the freshly scourged earth. Nerv had basically leveled off a mountain for this operation, and the footing was precarious for a two hundred foot tall cybernetic organism.<p>

Her role in the operation was simple. She would, at the appointed time, move forward with the heat shield, the triangular underbelly of a decommissioned space shuttle. It stood on its point not far from where Unit One was set up, resting against a crudely fashioned support pylon, where she'd left it. The welds on her side were still fresh where the supporting struts and braces had been installed to give it more structural strength- the angel's beam struck with physical force.

She turned to stand beside it, awaiting the order. Unit One began to synchronize, and lurched where it lay in the prone position in a support cradle. The Eva was badly damaged, and most of the upper armor had been hastily replaced with gray primered replacement parts. It was vital that Rei shield it, since the uncoated armor would be less effective in diffusing and refracting the energy from the beam.

She saw the Eva crawl up to the gun, and Soryu's image appeared on her screen. Their eyes did not meet.

Captain Katsuragi appeared.

"Rei, get into position. The gun is charging up now."

Rei nodded, walked behind the shield, and hefted it, sliding the Eva's forearm through the grip strips on the back. She held it in front of her like a medieval knight and sprinted forward on the balls of the Eva's feet, nimbly moving over the loose ground. Beneath the mountain, all the lights went out in great waves, the entire country going dark as the grid shut down to power the weapon. Rei fell into a crouch next to the barrel of the gun, and rammed the bottom of the shield into the ground to brace it.

"Weapon charged, waiting for firing solution," Soryu announced, her voice calm, cool, and utterly unlike herself. In the view screen, she was totally focused on her actions, ignoring all outside stimuli. Rei almost admired her posture.

"Firing now."

Unit One's finger closed around the trigger. The gun whirred to life, the barrel went white hot, and a beam of light so bright white it carved a purple streak not in Rei's, but in the _Eva's_ eyesight. Rei fought the urge to press her eyes shut and tensed, and the Eva tensed with her, as she waited for the counter strike.

The angel stopped drilling, shrieked in fury, and without reforming itself threw out a broad beam of energy. When the shot from the cannon hit it, the beam bent, twisted, and diverted upwards, but not far upwards enough. It skimmed through the angel's crystalline body, carving a flaming channel along the surface, and left behind it an ugly, melted scar.

"Scheisse," said Soryu. "I missed."

"It's not you, it's the gun," said Karsuragi. "The MAGI are compensating, should be done before you switch out the fuse. Begin barrel cooling."

Calmly, Asuka went about her work. Unit One cycled out the huge fuse for the cannon like a bolt action rifle, and the spent wreckage bounced on the dirt before coming to a hissing stop, still red-hot from the amount of power shoved through it. Gingerly, she slipped the second shot in place and closed it, but the barrel had not yet cooled.

The angel screamed, shattered, and refocused itself into a gigantic wedge with two long, crystalline spires aimed downwards, shoved into the ground as if to brace. It did not fire at once, but began to glow, and Rei could feel the hum of power in her chest.

"Oh," said Katusragi. "Oh shit, Asuka-"

The angel fired.

Rei pressed her eyes shut. The force of it pushed Unit Zero back, and she dug her heels in to resist it. The shield slammed into her Eva's chest, folding her arms in, and white-hot pain ran up her elbows; the joints might have been broken. She pushed by leaning into it, drifting forward in the seat In mockery of the Eva's motion, fighting to keep the shield down as the top half of it pushed towards her head and would slide free and tumble out of her grasp if it kept on moving. Rei turned the Eva's head and opened her eyes. The entire mountainside had burst into flames, and the top part of their sheltering hill had turned to red hot slag and folded back, like a melting bottle in a campfire.

"_Firing!" _Soryu screamed.

The beam held true, and punched back through the angel's fury. Rei was gritting her teeth, fighting to hold the shield, but felt the pressure lessen. Something was pushing it forward. The Eva focused on it, anticipating her thoughts.

It was him.

Superman had his back pressed into the shield, shoulders squared against it, legs flailing as if he were trying to stand on the air. He pushed and pushed, and in a moment of curious clarity, Rei saw he was wearing a new set of clothing. This information was relevant, somehow, and-

The beam hit. The angel screamed. The lance of light cut through its body in a single, clean stroke, bisecting it neatly in half and the core with it. In a final, furious scream, the angel simply exploded, pouring all of itself into one last, desperate, flashing act of defiance. Somehow, the force of the burst was directed, focused tightly on the hilltop.

The shield simply ceased to be. It blew apart in burning, half melted fragments, and Rei fought back a scream as the shards of hot material impaled themselves into her Eva. She fell backwards, landing hard on the right shoulder. Unit One fared even worse. The force of the blast lifted the Eva up and slammed it down, and without the protective shield, the primered parts of the armor burst into flames, blue tongues of licking fire washing out over the rest of the armor plates. Rei rolled her Eva onto its back for rescue, and the world doubled on her, fuzzing.

* * *

><p>"Oh my God," Misato was saying, over, and over.<p>

The whole mountain was on fire. If the command bunker wasn't on the opposite side, they'd all be dead. The technicians around her were all staring in mute shock at the burning horror before them. The feeds from the Evas had cut off. Unit Zero was lying back-up, spread eagled, beside Unit One, which was rolled over on its side. Both of them were burning, flames lancing up along the edges of their armor plating. It lit up the night like day, and the fire was already snaking down the mountain, towards the city.

"Captain?" said Hyuga. "What do we do?"

"They're dead," said Ritsuko. "Oh God, they're dead, we-"

"Captain!" Maya shouted, "Captain Katsuragi!"

Misato shook her head to clear out the cobwebs.

"Captain! You have to see this!"

Misato ran along the consoles to the girl's screen.

"Put that up on the main display."

Maya typed, and on the display, a pitiful thing compared to the one at Central Dogma, the satellite view of the Ashi lakes wavered. The whole room went silent. No one breathed.

"That's impossible," said Ritsuko.

The lake was _moving._

Something, a tiny blue object, was furiously moving over the water in tight circles, and the waters moved with it, rising up from the surface like a waterspout. The entire area of the lake was swirling around in a great maelstrom, drawing in from its banks. It rose steadily, quickly, and suddenly everyone was on their feet watching if crest the hills, the water glowing in the light of the fire. It rose up in a great oncoming wave.

"Everybody!" Misato screamed, "_Grab onto something!" _

She took her own advice, throwing herself to the ground and looping her arm around Hyuga and Ritsuko as they did the same; Maya grabbed onto her mentor for dear life. The waters came, the waters came and with a thundering clash slammed down onto the hillside. The torrent drank the flames and belched forth steam as it rolled, and kept coming. The wave of steam rolled over the command bunker and the windows cracked from the heat. Sweat budded out on Misato's face.

The water rushed down over the Evas, smothering the flames with a great whump, and jets of steam rose from their prone forms. It smashed down over the encampment, and came rolling down the road towards the bunker. She saw technicians running, jumping into trucks, doing anything they could to get away from the wave.

There was a blur of motion, and _he_ appeared before them, feet planted solidly in the ground, red cape flapping out behind him like a flag. He reared up, flexed his broad back, and brought his hands together in a clapping motion.

It was like a thunderclap. It pushed in the windows, turning them into glassy spiderwebs of bowed safety glass, and rocked the bunker. The wave parted, diving around him from the force of it, splitting, it seemed, almost from his sheer presence. He turned and she saw as beams of heat, just barely visible, lanced out from his eyes and carved furrows into the mountainside, channels that took the water and guided it away, away from her and the bunker and the rest of the people.

The world went silent. Misato got up on her knees, and the others followed. She stumbled over to it, and reached for the latch but missed it, grasping feebly at empty air as the door was pulled free, right off the hinges, and tumbled away into the darkness.

He stepped up into the bunker, and looked her over.

"Is everybody okay?"

She worked her lips, but no sound came out. "Y-yes," she croaked. "I-"

"I have to get the pilots."

He turned, and she grabbed his arm. "Wait."

She didn't think. She didn't plan, consider, or worry about the dozen people watching her. By the time she registered amusement at the half terrified, half confused look on his face, she'd already done it. She pulled him close and kissed him.

"Thank you."

"I, uh, I'm just trying to help, ma'am."

He took two steps off the stairs into the command bunker and into empty air, and took off into the night.

Ritsuko glared at her.

"What?"

* * *

><p>Rei slid down the Eva's shoulder plate and would fallen into the mud had Superman not caught her. Her vision was still fuzzy, and it took her a moment to realize who it was, even as he appeared beside her and caught an arm around her waist to keep her from falling. For the moment unconcerned by anything other than remaining upright, she accepted the help without comment and leaned into him. When he lifted the both of them from the ground, she let out a very un-Rei-like yelp of alarm.<p>

The ground tilted and yawed under them. She reflexively put her arms around his neck and her held her around the waist, drifting not quite horizontally across the field to Unit One. He lighted on the side, near the emergency release, holding her up in his hands to make the touch down more gentle for her. Her feet touched the scorched armor and he held her a second more until she found her footing.

He went for the emergency plug release, found the plating over it fused, and yanked the cover free and tossed it over his shoulder. Predictably, the release assembly was melted to slag. Sighing, Superman dropped down and started prying the armor plating off by hand, one at a time, piling them up neatly beside the Eva's neck. Once the top of the plug was exposed, he grabbed it and with surprising deftness pulled it free in a great squeal of metal on metal, guiding it out of the entry channel and onto the ground, where he carefully rolled it upright. Rei took his hand as she descended, and joined him beside it.

He turned the release, and Rei leaned into the plug. Soryu was lying on the command seat, her eyes lidded, but she was awake. She sat up and groaned, grabbing her head with both hands to hold it as if it were made out glass. Rei slid into the plug and held the side to steady herself, offering her other hand to Soryu. The other pilot looked at her askance for a moment, then reached up and took the offered hand. Rei pulled, but she felt drained, her muscles like stretched taffy, and Soryu was too shaky to even stand up. Superman entered the plug, not quite touching the inner surface with his feet, and took them both around the waist. Soryu leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, and seemed to jerk constantly, fighting off sleep as he lifted them out and lighted gently on the ground. Rei let go of him and helped sit Soryu down against the side of the plug.

Rei sat down beside her.

As Superman sat down, Asuka leaned into him, eyes still closed. Her breathing slowed, but she seemed to still be awake.

"She has a concussion," he whispered, "but she looks okay."

"That is good," said Rei.

"But what is best in life?" said Soryu.

"Huh?" said Superman.

"Movie I saw once, idiot," she mumbled, twining her arms around his bicep. "Make me some dinner. I want some pasta."

Rei tilted her head to the side.

Superman blinked. "Um, miss Soryu?"

"Yeah," she said, blearily. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she whispered, "the lady in the Eva saved me."

* * *

><p>Asuka woke up in a hospital bed. Again.<p>

She tried to voice her annoyance, but the words came out as along, drawn out moan. Her head felt like it was stuffed full of rubber, even making tiny squeaking sounds as she moved. Misato leaned over her, beaming.

"Ugh," said Asuka. "I must be dead, and this is hell."

Misato snorted. "No such luck. You did it, champ."

"Did what?"

"Killed the angel. That was all you. We'd all be dead if it wasn't for you."

Asuka smiled a gentle smile. "Yeah. I see how it is."

"You have visitors."

Rather than sit up, she grabbed the remote control for the bed, and it slowly moved up, humming all the while, until she was in a seated position. Shinji was there, and so was Ayanami.

"Definitely hell," she muttered.

Misato stepped back, glancing at the other pilot. She stepped forward, standing at the side of Asuka's bed.

"Soryu."

"Ayanami," Asuka rolled her eyes.

"You should call me Rei," she said quietly. "Asuka."

Asuka blinked. "Oh. Uh, okay."

Rei looked at Misato. "Was that sufficient?"

Asuka's eyes narrowed. "Listen up, First… _Rei_. This is your first lesson. Stop talking like a robot."

Misato snickered. Shinji scratched the back of his head, but smiled to himself.

"I must go. I have homework to do."

"You must be kidding," said Asuka. "You take that crap seriously?"

"I take everything seriously," said Rei.

She turned to leave without comment. Shinji rushed to the bedside, in his own way, almost pushing Misato aside.

"You're really okay?"

"Oh, fine," she muttered. "I know why you're here. I can put the damn cream on myself."

He blushed furious, "No! I, uh, that is, if you wanted me to I would, but I don't… actually I… umm…"

"Go get me some ice cream," Asuka sighed, rolling her eyes.

"What flavor?"

She closed her eyes and leaned back into her pillow. "All of them. I want a real television, too. How long do I have to sit here?"

"Docs say you can go home in the morning," said Misato, as Shinji walked out. "No school for a few days-"

"That's fine," Asuka mumbled.

"You have to keep putting the cream on, too. Every day, for a week, just to be sure. I'm kind of tempted to get a bottle of it myself, it looks like it does wonders."

"Yeah," said Asuka. "Too bad it stinks so bad."

"Hey," said Misato. "What were you teasing him about?"

Her eyes shot open. "Nothing," she said, innocently.

"Liar," Misato barked. "Out with it."

"I couldn't reach my back with the sunburn," she said sheepishly, "so I had him put it on me."

Misato burst out laughing, so hard she dropped into the chair next to the bed and drew her knees up to her chest, until she was struggling to breathe. Asuka stared at her as though she'd gone mad.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Misato wiped the tears from her eyes with her thumbs. "You could have had a nurse do it."

Asuka's eyes shot wide. "I…" she sputtered, "They… I don't… I didn't… shut up!"

Misato jumped up, still laughing. "Whatever you say, Asuka," and patted Asuka on the head as she left. "Get some sleep."

"Ow!" Asuka snapped, "I didn't rub that shit into my _scalp!_"

"Oh," said Misato, "I'll get Shinji in here for you."

Asuka reached over her shoulder, grabbed her pillow, and chucked it at her, and missed. She fell back against the bed. Shinji grabbed it from the floor as he walked in, bowl of ice cream in hand.

"I couldn't get every flavor so I got something called Neapolitan," he mused, as he held up the pillow. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," she sighed. "Just get in here."

* * *

><p>You have been reading<p>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter Seven: The Best Defense...  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Goro Yoshida's day began promptly at five in the morning, regardless of his actual schedule. The only moment of the day he permitted any weakness was the time when the grogginess of sleeping pills was slowing him down, before his first cup of coffee, both taken against the advice of his doctor. He slept on a mattress covered in a bare white sheet, the bed alone with a closet where he kept his uniform suits and a study, functional locker where he kept everything else. There were three guns on the locker, his service sidearm, his backup, and the .25 he kept tucked in a holster around his waist.<p>

Dragging himself into the small bathroom off the bedroom, he hated his own reflection. Deprived of his monolithic black three piece, he was an old man, with the body of a power lifter gone to seed. Slabby muscles, hard earned in years of exercise and military service, were weight down by rolling sags of fat, like a loose coat shirt of flesh hung over his body. His belly, grown large from feeding the exercise regimen he no longer followed, pushed out under his shirt, pale and veiny. When he was a younger man, he didn't need to stretch the flesh of his face with his hand to shave.

Yoshida's apartment was small, Spartan, efficient, with a simple bedroom-bathroom and living room-kitchen setup. The only furniture in the latter was a ratty couch chosen because it was the first one he sat on that felt comfortable to him, and a television still sitting on its own box. The walls were clean of decorations and the kitchen plain, empty, like a store display full of empty drawers.

Without bothering to put on any pants, he stepped out into the hall and retrieved his newspaper. He was not one to abuse his authority, but his paper always arrived fresh enough that it still felt warm from the presses, or so he fancied. He slapped the paper on the kitchen table without reading it and pulled out a box of generic-o's, or whatever they were, the most basic breakfast foodstuff he could find. He didn't need any sugary crap, just his coffee. His one luxury was an automatic coffee pot that had a pot ready for him when he woke up. He took it black.

Munching on paper cereal between swigs of too-hot coffee, he scanned the front page of the paper. He put his plain white cup down and sneered and disgust at the latest sophomoric, fawning headline about the so-called Superman. The edges of the paper crinkled under his fingers, and quivered with his fury. He put it aside to finish his breakfast, such as it was, and left to dress, leaving the dishes piled up on the table. He'd attend to them when he returned, later that evening. He had event security to coordinate. Katsuragi and Akagi were going to a weapons exhibition, and he had been tasked with seeing to their safety. At least Katsuragi hadn't insisted on dragging the pilots along, which would have made the whole thing a logistical nightmare.

In the darkness before dawn he put on his suit and his tie and his guns and sunglasses and all his badges of authority, and made sure they were just so. He was no fool to delude himself into thinking he was thinner than he was with two-small clothes; everything was properly tailored and fitted, and when he wore it, he felt more himself. The clothes had meaning the man underneath them lacked. He slipped his earpiece into his ear and the comforting buzz of the constant slipstream of information from his underlings warmed his ear, like long forgotten music stirring old memories.

He opened the top drawer of his chest and ran his hands over the object inside, a heavy photo album in a plastic bag. It was meant to look like an antique book but the charring across the cover undid that effect, revealing the layers of plastic and cardboard underneath. The pages were warped and curled up, the plastic melted by heat. The whole thing barely held together, having spent several months floating in seawater before he recovered it.

Reverently, he put the album on the bed, sliding it out of its plastic sleeve. Carefully, he grasped the frayed, curled edges of the pages and opened it to the place where the only intact photograph waited, slotted into the center of a page. It was an unremarkable picture of a short, board shouldered woman in a kerchief, neither homely nor beautiful, the sort of woman that is sometimes called handsome. She stood on a beach in a blue bathing suit, her arm around the shoulders of a pudgy boy of maybe thirteen years, smiling broadly into the camera. The effect of the bright sun when the photo was taken combined with fading from the abuse it suffered made it difficult to see what it actually depicted.

Yoshida slipped the picture into his coat pocket, where it would ride near both his heart, and his gun. He buttoned his coat over it and walked by the kitchen to the door, but before he did, he picked up the newspaper. The photography was blown up to cover three columns, grayscale, and grainy even before the printing process. It showed a man in a cape and a blue body suit lifting a city bus over his head, the back tire hanging from the wheel hanging in shredded tatters while the passengers look down in astonishment and elation.

He crumped the paper into a tight ball, and tossed it into the recycling bin, so hard it made the little door swing-swing for a full minute after he left.

* * *

><p>Misato hated her dress uniform. She felt ridiculous in it, what with the big shoulder pads and the goofy rope around her shoulder and how terribly overblown it was in contrast to what she actually wore on the job- it didn't look much like a military uniform, either. Looking at herself in the rear view mirror, she felt like a military-themed stripper. Ritsuko was able to get away with her normal attire, minus the labcoat and with a simple black jacket to replace it. Sitting in the front seat, she played with her phone without looking up.<p>

"When are you going to get a new car?"

"When I get a raise," Misato muttered, glancing at her.

The car was a soft spot. She was on her third rental now, this time a gray little hatchback that had very little in the way of personality or pep or anything particularly desireable at all. She longed for the quick maneuverability of her old car and the chance to make Ritsuko yelp with an abrupt turn into the parking lot at the exposition center where the Jet Alone autonomous weapons system was going to be publicly tested. Instead, she managed a slow, groaning turn with her damned blinker on. The gray hatchback joined a steady stream of traffic towards the expo center, a converted hangar with the main bay doors converted into windows.

Standing beyond the building, and dwarfing it, was the hunched shape of the weapons system itself, draped in a series of gray drop cloths. It was hard to tell what was under the cover, except that it was vaguely human in shape but with none of the grace of an Eva- it looked like a puppet with the strings cut, the body hunched over and top heavy, the legs obvious short and awkward.

"What are we even doing here?" Misato mused as she flashed her identification card at the guard manning the gate.

"Checking out the competition," Ritsuko shrugged as they passed under the hazard-striped gate.

Misato deftly maneuvered, or rather tried to deftly maneuver, into a parking space. The facility was already packed, and people would begin parking their cars on the grass soon. The Heavy Industries testing ground was a converted airfield, and the skeleton of an old, disused air traffic control tower loomed over the far end. Misato clipped her identification badge to her chest and joined the throng of people walking into the hangar.

It looked more like a social event than a weapons test. Most of the attendees were wildly overdressed, or so Misato imagined. Ritsuko paid it all no mind, instead sneaking quick glances at the machine itself- part of the lower leg, big and stumpy like a tree trunk, was visible under the cloth.

"Wide lower legs," she muttered, "For stability. It can't stay up if they make it too top heavy."

Misato shrugged. "Engineers will never solve the problems of a humanoid mecha."

"We have," Ritsuko shrugged.

"Yeah," said Misato. "We cheat."

Ritsuko pushed her glasses up her nose, taking a professorial air. "Watch it, Misato. The walls have ears."

Misato shrugged. "Can we just get this over with? I want to get back to my endless pile of mind numbing paperwork."

"Tell me about it," said Ritsuko.

Again, the demonstration seemed overly formal as she entered the main area of the hangar. The window was set up at once end, made up of man-sized panes of glass in a polished metal frame, while the rest of the place looked like less like a press junket and more like a formal dinner, right down to large tables with white tablecloths and flowery centerpieces. Eventually, Misato was beginning to feel legitimately weirded out by the whole thing as she took a seat next to Ritsuko, facing the main stage.

The stage was set up like something out of a cheesy movie, a mad scientists' den. Half of the machines up there, big bulky computing equipment and control panels, looked like they weren't even necessary. Honestly, if it took all that to run the thing, what good was it? She saw Ritsuko fidgeting, probably thinking the same thing as she scanned the stage and the crowd nervously.

"You look worried," said Misato.

"I'm not. We have our own security people here," said Ritusko. "Just to keep an eye on us."

"That's a little excessive, isn't it?" said Misato. "I have a gun."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Whatever, quick-draw. Be quiet, they're starting."

A weedy looking man in a completely superfluous labcoat strode awkwardly across the stage, half-stumbling a few times as he watched the crowd for their response. He took a position at the big podium at the front of the stage, and scanned the crowd until he started at the sight of Ritsuko.

"Tokita," she growled.

"What?" said Misato.

"He had a crush on me in high school," she sighed.

Misato snorted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, esteemed members of parliament, and last but not least, Secretary General Nakashima, National Heavy Industries is proud to welcome you all to the next generation of mobile combat platform, the Jet Alone!"

Misato awkwardly joined in the light applause, scanning the crowd, until she saw the steel-gray bun of the Nakashima woman some distance away, as she sat with some foreigners. Misato growled under her breath a little, but could see why she'd be here- the Eva program was expensive, and an alternative would naturally be attractive. It seemed Ritsuko was right about competition, after all.

Tokita went on. "This project represents a major step ahead of the Evangelion project in every regard- Jet Alone is independent of human pilots and an outside power source, due to the onboard combat program and a compact, safe nuclear reactor that represents up to six months of autonomous operation at full capacity."

There were some murmurs in the room at the mention of a nuclear reactor.

"Now, now," said Tokita, "I understand your trepidation, but I'd like to point out that nuclear reactors have a nearly perfect operational record in combat, and-"

"Yeah!" Misato shouted, standing up. "On _boats._ This thing is supposed to go toe-to-toe with creatures that-"

"Not toe –to-toe," Tokita smirked, leaning over his microphone. "We've advanced somewhat beyond fisticuffs. We think actually _shooting _the angels might be more effective."

Misato put her fists on her hips. "I'll have you know-"

"Yes, yes," Tokita waved his hand. "We know all about your expensive, dangerous, and extremely unreliable positron gun, which you only employed because running up to the angel and punching it in the face didn't work."

"Well," Misato snapped, "There's the little problem of the-"

"Misato!" Ritsuko cut her off.

"We know," said Tokita. "The so-called 'Absolute Terror Field'. You've already proven for us that your weapons platform is obsolete, Captain Katsuragi. Overwhelming firepower can pierce this field. Overwhelming firepower is what we will bring to bear on it."

Misato sank down, shaking. How the hell did they know that? Who leaked it?

"Now," said Tokita, "If I may direct your attention to our testing grounds."

Misato turned around, along with Ritsuko and everyone else. With a dramatic flourish of spotlights, the drop cloths fell away, pouring down on themselves in a ring around the machine's feet. It was as hunched and ungainly looking as she'd expected, a great mass of primered steel with stubby legs, long, mullti-jointed arms, and no real head to speak of, only a sensor suite approximating an arachnid cluster of eyes in the center of its "chest". A series of cables ran up to its back.

"As I said, Jet Alone is fully autonomous. The cables you see are a safety measure- they provide us with a hard line connection to shut the system down if there are any problems. We've already been through a full run-through of the reactor. Today, you will see our first movement test," he turned to the crew behind him, "Well, boys, fire her up!"

There was a great mechanical hum and the clanking of joints, and the machine swayed from side to side a bit as the torso gradually rose up into a standing position. The arms moved gracelessly to its side to balance it as it stood to its full height, about one and a half times the size of an Eva. It must have been monstrously heavy. It had wide feet with long pylons jutting out to the side to spread the weight, like a child's wind-up toy. It had the same, clunky sort of uneasiness to it, as if it might fall, when it began to move.

Slowly, the robot pulled on leg up, keeping its weight centered over both feet, and took a slow, unsteady stomp forward. Tokita stared anxiously, arms crossed over his chest, sweat beading on his forehead, as the machine moved. It picked up speed as it gathered momentum, pounding across Misato's vision from one side of the window to the other. Its steps made the water in the glass at her table ripple in tiny circles.

"So far," Ritsuko said anxiously, "so good."

"You sound concerned," said Misato.

"Putting a reactor in this thing is insane," she whispered.

Slowly, the robot turned and began to complete a lazy circle. As it turned away, Misato saw a forest of black rods jutting from its back, and a moment of dawning horror fell on her, sliding down her back to turn to ice in her stomach. The control rods for the reactor were exposed.

"Are those-" she breathed.

"Yes," Ritsuko said anxiously. "The design for this thing is insane. We need to talk to the UN people-"

The robot made a sudden, abrupt shift, coming to rest, hunched forward. Tokita looked around nervously, and Misato found herself with the impression that this wasn't part of the proverbial show. She fumbled in her pocket for her cell phone as the robot began to turn and pick up speed, really moving this time, the heavy footsteps coming at regular intervals like rolling thunder. It dragged the heavy rubber sheathed cables across the field as it moved towards the parking lot.

"What the hell…" Ritsuko said quietly.

The robot turned again, and Misato watched in horror as the cables dragged through the lines of parked cars, sweeping them out of the way. She rushed with the sudden rising crowd of onlookers to the window just in time to see an enormous metal foot come crashing down right in the center of the parking lot.

"Are you _kidding me!" _

"Misato," said Ritsuko. "Get headquarters on the phone, it-"

"This is a minor malfunction," Tokita squeaked, raising his voice in lieu of the microphone. "The system is somewhat unstable, it will only take us a moment to issue the shutdown codes-"

As he spoke, the cables lifted from the ground, stretching away from their moorings. Misato swallowed as she practically felt them stretching, the layers of composite and rubber and wire pulling against themselves, building up tension. Jet Alone tugged at them for a bare second, digging its heels in, and then the cables snapped with a great, tinny whipping sound and started flying in all directions, one heavy strand whipping right at the window.

* * *

><p>Asuka gleefully picked up her latest purchase, a vial of perfume in a small blue bag, and demurely held it out for Shinji to take. Groaning, he set down the fistfuls of shopping bag he held in either hand, until Toji nudged him aside.<p>

"Nah," the other boy shrugged, "I got it. You can't carry all that, man."

Asuka snorted at his show of bravado. So far, they'd hit every store in the mall, and yet Shinji didn't seem to labor under his load, while Toji was visibly straining to carry their purchases, mostly Hikari's. The other girl always seemed amazed on their shopping trips, as though she'd never seen the mall despite having been there with Asuka twice.

As they left the cosmetics shop, the boys fell behind naturally, far enough that Asuka and Hikari could whisper comfortably to one another. Asuka glanced over her shoulder at them, watching them exchange their own conversation. The gap widened, and Hikari felt comfortable enough to rather brazenly ask, "Really, all over?"

Asuka rolled her eyes. "For the fifth time, yes."

She meant what they had come to term _the tan_, the all-over darkening of Asuka's skin that would have been a third degree burn if she hadn't constantly rubbed LCL-infused ointment all over herself for two weeks. As it was, she'd darkened several shades, so much so that the light freckling on her shoulders and under eyes almost blended it. Asuka was annoyed with at first but as she looked at herself in the mirror of a storefront, she realized how much she liked it, another way she was set apart from the dark haired, fair skinned people around her, unique and exotic. She liked being exotic.

"So did you do it?"

Hikari blushed profusely, and Asuka again rolled her eyes.

"Not yet," she glanced at Toji. "Isn't _he_ supposed to ask _me_ out?"

Asuka snorted. "Oh please, don't be so twentieth century. This is the post impact world. We're liberated from all that traditional crap. You can ask him to hang out with you if you want."

"Hey," Hikari teased, "I don't see _you_ asking Shinji."

Asuka blew her bangs out of her eyes. "I live with him, besides…" she trailed off. "Wait, what? Ask him what?"

"You know," Asuka softly, "to go out with you."

Asuka practically felt herself burning, and a quick look in a window confirmed it- shed' darkened a shade from the depth of her blush. She fought down the heat she felt on her cheeks, forcing herself to stay calm and collected.

"It's not like that," said Asuka. "Besides, I'm an _Evangelion pilot. _He's beneath me."

"But you _like him."_ said Hikari.

Asuka sighed. "Like him? What are you, twelve? Look, I will admit, he is handsome, and surprisingly intelligent, and he's actually in really great shape, and…" she trailed off.

Behind them, Shinji tripped and nearly fell over his own feet, sputtering. Toji put down a handful of packages to steady him by the shoulder. Shinji stopped, looked around nervously, and set his own load of purchases down to push his glasses up his nose. He pulled out his cell phone as if he was expecting a call.

Asuka stiffened as she heard the evacuation alarm, and did the same. She reached for her phone and held it, but it didn't buzz, even as the Section 2 agents melted out of the crowd to surround her. Even as they began to usher Hikari away from her, the phone didn't ring. That was, well, odd.

"Why aren't they calling me to report in?"

"Dunno," the agent nearest her shrugged. "We still need to secure you, ma'am. The civilians will have to use the public shelters."

Toji appeared, without his load of bags. Asuka was beginning to feel annoyed at the constant rising and falling wail of the alarm, and nearly bit her own tongue in frustration. He took Hikari's arm.

"Where's the stuff?" Asuka demanded, raising her voice over the alarms and the shouting of mall patrons.

"Shinji took it," Toji shrugged.

"_All_ of it?" Asuka snapped.

"Yeah," the boy shrugged. "Come on, Hikari."

Hikari, for her part, blushed furiously and tried to draw her head down between her shoulders, covering her mouth in shock. Asuka watched as the boy drew her away by the hand, heading for the public shelter. Hikari got over the surprise quickly, though, pulling out her cell phone. It wouldn't surprise Asuka if she was going to call all of their classmates individually to make sure they got to their shelters, even though they were out of school.

Asuka rather passively let herself be guided out of a service entrance and to the waiting staff car. As the agent opened the door for her, they all stopped and looked up.

"Did you see that?"

Asuka craned her neck to scan the sky. "No. Just get in the car."

* * *

><p>Misato coughed, and realized she'd probably just breathed in a bunch of silica dust. Her memory of the last minute or so was hazy. She remember calling into headquarters, hence the constant wailing of the evacuation alarm, but she didn't remember the flying cable come tearing through the window, slash a long rent in the far wall, and come to rest in the ruins of the stage. She got up, shakily, and looked around for Ritsuko. The scientist was easy to pick out by the bright color of her hair, though dulled with dust. Misato carefully checked her, touching the sides of her head. She had a thin trickle of blood running down her forehead, but seemed unhurt.<p>

"What the hell," she coughed, sitting up.

Together, they looked through the ruins of the window and saw Jet Alone pounding along at steady pace, silhouetted against the setting sun as it crested a low rise, Tokyo-3 glittering in the distance as the city came to life for the night. Misato swallowed.

"We have to stop that thing," she said quietly.

Appearing from nowhere, Tokita shouted, "We have everything under control! We'll just transmit the emergency shutdown code, and-"

Misato ignored him, fishing around in her pockets. She found her gun and her keys and her identification card but no phone, and cursed silently under her breath until Ritsuko handed hers over. She hit the speed dial for headquarters and waited.

"Hello?"

"Who is this?" Misato demanded. "Hyuga? Is that you?"

"Yes ma'am," he said, nervously.

"Start getting ready to scramble Unit One. Get Asuka to the base."

"That's," he sucked in a breath, "that's uh, a negative on that, Captain. The Commander has forbidden the deployment of Unit One."

"What? What about the pilots-"

"They're bringing them down here now."

"That's not going to do us any good if that stupid thing melts down!" Misato practically screamed.

A hush fell over the air itself, a sort of quietness. It took her a moment to process that the crowd of people around her, half standing and the other half sitting or on their knees or lying prone, were all looking in the same direction. She followed their gaze and nearly dropped the phone.

"Captain?" Hyuga's tiny voice said. "Captain?"

It was _him._

He'd changed his look, so to speak- where before his suit had been cobbled together from mostly casual clothes, he had a definite look to it now. She would have called a uniform. He'd sewn that logo of his, the funny lightning-y _S_ to a blue bodysuit, cinched around the waist with a wide yellow belt. His cape was longer now, too, almost to his ankles although it was billowed out. It still shocked her to see a human being fly, and not even really fly- he descended from the air as if he was just standing there, slowly being lowered to the ground by an unseen force. He came to rest not far from her and looked around.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Thank God you're here!"

Misato turned, blinking. Nakashima, the Secretary General of the Freaking United Nations, strode up to him as easy as you please. He plainly recognized her, stiffening a little.

"Listen," she said sharply. "That thing out there has a _nuclear reactor_ in it, and it's headed for the city. You have to stop it."

He nodded. "I'll do my best, ma'am."

"I told you!" Tokita shouted, shrilly. "We're taking care of it!"

"Then do it!" Nakashima shouted back.

"What's the hold up?" Misato demanded.

"There's a minor problem with the signal," Tokita said sheepishly. "The shutdown code doesn't appear to be going through…"

Superman appeared beside him, and Tokita flinched visibly, his thin glasses tumbling right down his nose. "Um," he muttered.

"Is there a way to enter the code manually?"

"Yes," said Tokita, "But the code is classified…"

Misato and Nakashima stared him down. He tugged at his collar. Ritsuko rolled her eyes.

"There's another problem. Whatever glitch is causing the problem with the pathing system…"

"It's walking towards the city," Ritsuko snapped, "That is not a _pathing problem." _

Tokita cleared his throat, weakly. "There's a problem with the entire system. It's started overworking the reactor. It's already at one hundred and five percent. No one could take the heat in the reactor override chamber…"

"I can," said Superman.

"Well," said Tokita, "I suppose we could talk you through it, if we had some radios…"

Misato pointed to two of the Section 2 guards. "You two, get over here. Give us your comm units."

The agents pulled the earbuds from their ears and took off their jackets to uncoil the wires from the microphones on their wrists. She put one on herself, holding the other one out to Superman. He took it in one blue-gloved hand, nodded thanks, and put it on, coiling the wire around his neck. He nodded to her and to the Secretary General of the Freaking United Nations, and then just took off. It was like gravity stopped working on him and he just slid up into the air, feet dangling under him. Misato put the microphone up to her face.

"Check."

"I hear you, Captain."

"Good. Okay, Tokita. What does he do?"

"There's a hatch on the back," said Tokita. "It's marked with a radiation symbol."

He was already gone, disappeared into the evening sky as she relayed the order.

"I see it."

She waited anxiously. Jet Alone didn't stop or react at all, and it was too far away now to see him land on it. She almost held her breath, tapping the floor with her foot. She could feel the other people around her thinking the same thing.

"I'm in."

"He's in," said Misato.

"Just keep going," said Tokita. "It's a straight crawl down the tunnel to the reactor control. Flip up the panel and-"

"Slow down," said Misato.

"Captain?" said Superman. "I don't mean to freak you out, but I don't actually need the radio to hear you."

"Oh," said Misato. "Nevermind." She motioned at Tokita to go on.

"Open the panel, there's a keyboard."

More waiting. She heard mechanical scraping sounds through the radio feed. When he spoke again, it was harsh and disorted. He was probably cupping the microphone to his mouth and shouting.

"We have a problem here. The keyboard is melted. It's _really_ hot in here."

"The system's a no go," said Misato. "He says it's getting hot in there."

"Try shutting down the reactor physically," Tokita shouted through cupped hands. "Push the control rods in!"

"Tell him to stop shouting. I'm not deaf."

Misato snorted. Nakashima gave her a look, but she ignored it.

"I see the rods."

The next minute was tense. She heard a soft grunt and the sound of metal grinding on metal, and heavy breathing.

"They're stuck, or something. I can't push them in without breaking them off."

Misato swallowed. "He says they won't move."

"Uh," said Tokita.

Misato cleared her throat. "Okay, what do we have? You said this thing isn't responding to the shutdown orders. Can you re-route it?"

Tokita shook his head. "It's already ignoring our routing requests. The only thing we haven't tried is the combat system, and I don't see how-"

"I need all the information I can get," Misato said flatly, crossing her arms. "What does it do?"

"Right now, nothing. It doesn't have any weapons systems other than the arms."

"Heh," Ritsuko chuckled, "I'm surprised you didn't decide to give us a live fire demonstration, too."

Misato ignored her. "What exactly would it do if you turned those systems on?"

"We could assign it a target, and it might start pursuing it."

Misato tapped her foot.

"Superman," she said.

"I heard. You have an idea, don't you."

"Yeah. I want you to fly out of there. We'll program it to target you, and then you lead it away from the city."

"Where would I go?"

"Where would he go?" said Misato.

Tokita looked around. "Ask him if there's any radiological alerts on the control panels-"

"They melted," said Superman, "but I didn't see anything."

"He says they're all out of commission," said Misato.

"There's a detector panel," said Tokita, "it's passive, like the badges people wear when working on reactors. If it's still black, there's no leak."

"It's black," said Superman.

"He says it's good, no radiation leak."

Tokita nodded. "The ocean, then. Drown it. We have to cool it down before it cracks open."

"Did you get that?" said Misato.

"Yes," said Superman. "Do it."

Misato nodded at Tokita. "Send the commands."

"Wait," said Superman. "Something's happening. The rods are retracting."

Misato blinked. "What?"

She turned to look out the window, and as she watched, Jet Alone came to a stop, taking three pounding steps before standing straight up, arms at its side. It seemed to bounce on its heels a bit, and then settled down into its resting position, hunched over, as the forest of rods on its back slid inwards.

"Superman?" said Misato. "What happened? Superman?"

There was no answer.

* * *

><p>Kensuke shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and sat down on his bed, tired. He'd taken some work with him to the shelter and still been mostly bored, waiting to get back home. He let himself fall backwards and look up onto the ceiling, where an inverted forest of thin, nearly invisible fishing line held all manner of models- jets and battleships and aircraft carriers and more fanciful things from eras that never existed, dream-titans from old manga and anime, from an innocent time when people only dreamed about fighting in giant robots. Now, the giant robots were here and he was starting to get tired of them.<p>

He sat up, lowered the backpack to the ground, and started up his personal computer. To boot it, he had to insert a special thumb drive he carried, which held a copy of the key file needed for the boot level encryption. It took several minutes to start up, despite being a new model, as he kept everything on his hard drives encrypted on-the-fly, and not just the pictures of naked girls and the… the videos.

Lots of videos.

He waited, leaning on his hand in the cold blue glow of the boot screen, and felt the edges of sleep tugging at him. It was late, and tomorrow was a school day, but he was hungry- hungry for information. He needed to know why there was an evacuation but the Evas weren't deployed, why there was no sign of battle in the city. When the desktop came up, he quickly opened his browser windows, one regular one he'd browse porn and various social networking sites on and another he'd used to connect to an encrypted, painfully slow anonymized network. He felt a tingle of excitement as the tabs of forums opened up. He double-checked that his anonymizing protocol was working- the network seemed particularly fast tonight.

He had a private message on one of the forums. Curiously, a new user had shown up in the last week on all of the big cryptography and conspiracy forums he frequented, calling himself "br41n14c". This person was insanely curious about Superman, gathering all the information everyone had, starting topics everywhere. Tonight, he'd sent Kensuke a file. He scratched his chin curiously, and almost jumped out of his chair when there was a soft tap, as if from a stone, at his window.

Furiously, he closed everything out and started the background program that would wipe the session data from today's use, and carefully arranged his regular browser window- social media pages with a porn page tabbed in the background, to be "caught" on and explain his nerves. He peeked through the blinds and was surprised to see Shinji Ikari's face on the other side of the glass.

Ten feet in the air.

One eyebrow quirked, he opened the blinds, and then the window.

"Shinji?"

The other boy looked around. "Can I come in?"

"How did you get up here?"

Shinji shrugged as he pulled himself up through the window deftly, with a gymnast's grace, and sat on the bed. He had his own backpack over his shoulder. Kensuke slid the window closed. Shinji must have shimmied up the drain pipe, since there was nothing else to cling to. Kensuke had tried that once when he was six, and gotten a stern tongue lashing from his mother.

His breath caught in his throat at the thought of her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," said Kensuke. "Just thinking about my ma."

"Oh," said Shinji. "Um… is she…"

Kensuke nodded sadly. "I was real small. I don't remember her that well."

"I'm sorry," said Shinji. "I didn't mean-"

"Nah," Kensuke shook his head and dabbed at his eyes with his thumbs. "What are you doing sneaking into my house?"

Shinji looked around. Kensuke felt a little freaked out, sometimes, by how blue the other boy's eyes were. When the caught the light, they seemed to glow. He relaxed a little, and brought his backpack around to sit on the bed beside him.

"I have something I'd like you to look at," he said, drawing a rather damaged looking computer hard drive out of his pack. Kensuke took it.

"This is military grade hardware," said Kensuke. "It wouldn't have survived otherwise. Was it in a fire?"

"Something like that," Shinji said quietly. "Look, no one can know we have this…"

Kensuke sucked in a breath. His heart pounded in his chest and his stomach quivered, the way it did the first time he'd ever typed "Boobs" into the search engine. He swallowed. This wasn't playing at being a spy with readily available tools, this was the real deal. Shinji had stolen something from Nerv, he knew it.

"Is this… from your job…?"

Shinji looked at him oddly. "Not the one at Nerv. I need to know what's on it."

Kensuke stood up, turning the drive over and over in his hands. "I have the hardware to connect this up. It's going to take me a while. It would be nice if I had some idea what I was looking at."

"A computer program," said Shinji, "to control a very large machine. That's all I can tell you."

"I'll look it over," said Kensuke. "What's the big deal?"

"I need to know if someone tampered with the programming," said Shinji. He put a hand on Kensuke's shoulder. "_No one_ can know about this, and when you're done, I really, really need it back, okay?"

"Okay," Kensuke said hungrily. He'd give it back, alright, after he cloned it. He could almost kiss the boy. The real deal!

Without further comment, Kensuke started rooting in his box of tools and parts for the connectors he needed. He'd put the drive on its own power supply with a jumper so he didn't have to connect it to his motherboard. The process unfolded in his mind, and he was so lost in thought he didn't see Shinji leave.

* * *

><p>Ritsuko walked into her apartment and closed the door quickly behind her, bolting all three locks and sliding the chain home, just for good measure. She wanted to slump down against the floor and sleep right there- she had a meeting in the morning, and was doomed to a restless night's sleep of less than four hours. Getting away from the exposition was a nightmare, hours of security checks, and if someone had searched her and found the thumb drive in her pocket, she'd have been in real trouble. She pulled it out and looked at it, wanting to smash it with a hammer or flush it down the toilet, but slipped it into her palm.<p>

She walked blearily into her living room, shirt half unbuttoned and glasses discarded, saw Gendo Ikari sitting on her couch, and screamed.

He stood up quickly, surprisingly so for his size, and closed his fingers around his throat.

"I told you to sabotage it, not cause a national emergency," he said coldly.

"I did," she croaked, "You wanted their funding pulled, it-"

He let her go, but the brief moment of relief she felt sucking in the stale air of the apartment ended with his savage backhand. It send her falling over the arm of the couch, and she bounced on the cushions and rolled onto the floor, tears stinging her eyes.

"I did what you asked," she snarled, "Now get out."

He looked down at her with a small smirk.

"No."

* * *

><p>Asuka sat up and tried her hardest to destroy her alarm clock, slamming her closed sit on the snooze button. She was tempted to rip it from the outlet and hurl it into the wall, since she'd have to weight a random time between three and seven minutes now to actually turn it off when it rang again. She stood up and wandered out into the hall blearily, and seeing Shinji's slightly open door, sighed.<p>

In the kitchen, the bird was eating, slurping down sardines with disgusting aplomb, as if they were the last bits of fish in the world. It looked at her and squawked, and she flipped it off angrily. The washout was missing. There was a note at her place at the table.

"Lunch and breakfast in the fridge. –S"

She crumpled the note and stuffed it into the recycling bin, and then went about fishing out her morning's meal to put it in the microwave. Curiously, despite his lack of presence, he'd apparently done his best to render proper service, having made her steak and eggs. Despite a turn in the microwave, there wasn't a touch of grease on the perfectly cooked steak, and the eggs were fluffy. She kicked her feet as she ate, touching the balls of her feet to the floor with tiny squeaks. The bird squawked again.

"Oh shut up," she muttered.

Misato emerged from her room, as droopy and bleary-eyed as she usually was in the morning, each breath a strangled sigh.

"Turn off your damn alarm clock," she muttered.

Asuka snorted. "Good morning, sunshine."

She did as she was bid, though, stopping by the door of her room to reach over with her leg and deftly hit the real switch with her toe. She walked almost lightly back to the kitchen to hungrily finish eating.

"What's with you?" said Misato.

Asuka shrugged. "Do you know where Shinji is?"

Misato shook he head slowly, her unkempt hair drifting from side to side with the motion. "No. He's not here?"

"No," said Asuka, sighing as she cupped her hand with her chin.

"That's weird," said Misato. "Don't you guys have the day off today?"

Asuka nodded, idly. "Yeah. I guess I should call Hikari and see if she wants to go shopping."

Finished her food, she stood up and put the dishes in the sink, and then went off to have a quick morning shower, applying only half of her vast array hair care products, and reserving the skin creams she'd bought. She used up the very last of the LCL gunk, and it barely seemed to smell anymore. She rather enjoyed the cooling effect. If they could scent it, she'd keep using it.

Once she was dressed, she picked up her phone and dialed Hikari's number.

"Hey," said Hikari, tiredly.

"Hey," said Asuka. "You wanna got to the mall?"

Hikari yawned, the sound distorted by the closeness of the phone to her mouth. "Later today, maybe. My sister wants to take Nozomi to the park."

"Oh," said Asuka. "Can I come?"

Hikari hesitated. "It's kind of a family thing, Asuka. I don't know if my father would allow it."

Asuka sighed. "Fine, fine. Call me later, will you?"

"Yeah," said Hikari. Bye!"

"Bye," Asuka mumbled, hanging up the phone.

"What am I?" said Misato, as Asuka walked back into the kitchen.

"Huh?"

Misato smiled a sly grin, the effect someone ruined by the dark circles under her eyes. "You could hang out with me."

"It's seven in the morning," said Asuka. "I don't feel like drinking."

Misato scowled. "You know what I mean. We haven't done girl stuff together since Germany."

Asuka sighed. "I guess, if-"

Misato jumped excitedly in her chair. "Good. I already called in to take today off. I'll go get ready."

"You better take tomorrow, too, then," Asuks said dryly.

Misato, being the paragon of maturity, stuck her tongue out.

Asuka tapped her foot on the floor a bit more. "I have an idea," she said. "Let's pick up Rei."

* * *

><p>Shinji felt a tight coil in his stomach when he saw Toji and Kensuke. For one, Toji wasn't supposed to be there. For two, Kensuke was wearing a <em>trench coat and fedora<em>, looking around nervously through a pair of sunglasses. Shinji reflexively ran his hand down his face as he approached them, sighing as Kensuke began excitedly bobbing up and down on his feet.

"This is big," he blurted, "This is big, Shinji. Where did you get this again?"

"I can't say," he shrugged.

"Can't," said Kensuke, "or won't?"

"Shouldn't," said Shinji. "You wouldn't believe me, anyway."

Toji checked his watch. "You guys are weird."

"Kensuke," Shinji said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I told you not to tell anyone…"

"I didn't tell _anyone_…" said Kensuke. "I told Toji. We're like blood brothers and stuff."

Shinji sighed. "Okay. Look, let's get out of here, and take that ridiculous costume off."

Kensuke shrugged glumly and quickly pulled off the hat and shrugged out of the coat, folding it over his arm. He picked up his backpack and followed Shinji away from their meeting place at the corner of the arcade. He led them on a meandering route, always scanning for pursuers or observers. He had an advantage, of course, since he could hear the heartbeats of anyone around him and see through the buildings lining their path, but he was nervous all the same. He hated involving his friends, but he saw no other way around it. He could probably learn what he needed in a few hours, but the equipment… if he suddenly and unexpectedly took up an expensive new hobby and them completely dropped it, someone might notice.

Finally, they were out of the city proper, near the school, at the overlook where he sometimes met with Fuyutsuki. Shinji sat on the bench and Kensuke joined him, while Toji moved to look over the railing at the city.

"I should have brought binoculars," he mused.

"Why?" said Shinji.

"I could probably see a girl's boobs from here," he grinned.

Shinji put his face in both hands, and sighed.

Kensuke slipped his sunglasses back on and looked around theatrically as he pulled out a sheaf of printouts. Shinji looked at them anxiously.

"Is that the only copy?

"Yeah," said Kensuke. "Really. Now, look-"

"This is serious," Shinji said sharply.

Kensuke looked a little wounded, but not much, his excitement spilling over. "I know. Look at this."

"What is this?" said Shinji. It looked to him like a mass of random gibberish, page after page of strange words, normally unused keyboard symbols, and exclamation points.

"That drive had some source code on it, but not all of it," said Kensuke. "It must be a big program, whatever it is. This part looks like it controls some sort of power supply. Not very exciting."

Several bits were encircled in red ink. "What's this?" said Shinji.

"White Rabbit Object," said Kensuke.

"Huh?"

Kensuke shrugged, and grinned. "Look. An object is a piece of code that you can move around and manipulate. It's complicated. See this, here, this is a command, disguised as an object call. Someone just has to type that bit of code there" he pointed to a red circle_, _"that's the kicker. Whatever it did, it did it all. It looks like it gives some kind of funky command, ordering the power system to wildly overload itself."

Shinji nodded. "So if you, say, plugged this into a generator…"

"It doesn't work that way," said Kensuke, "but if you were running a system _with _a generator and ran this code, it would turn it all the way up and then some, yes."

Shinji nodded. "Can I take this? It's better if I just get rid of it. Did you bring the drive?"

Kensuke nodded, fishing the chunk of computer guts from his bag.

"Is this about the robot?" said Toji.

Shinji froze. "What?"

Toji crossed his arms. "The robot from yesterday, Shinji. I'm not dumb, ya know. I saw it on TV. Thing went haywire. The reactor was gonna blow up or whatever, and Superman stopped it."

"Melt down," said Kensuke. "Reactors don't…" he trailed off.

He stood up and moved away from the hard drive like it was an adder. "What the hell is that?"

Shinji looked at them both. He sighed. "Look, it's best if-"

"Yeah," said Kensuke, "I'll bet it is."

Shinji sighed, and put the papers and the hard drive in his own bag, and then leaned back against the bench.

"I'm…" he started, but trailed off. "I'm _working with_ Superman."

"Bullshit," said Toji.

"Yeah," said Kensuke. "You're right, I don't believe you."

"If you work for him," said Toji, "then call him."

"It…" Shinji trailed off. "It doesn't work that way. I owed him a favor, and this is it."

"A favor," said Toji. "For what?"

Shinji leaned on his knees, and stared into the trees. "Remember the first attack?"

"Yeah," said Toji. "Slightly."

Shinji shrugged, thought about taking his glasses off to clean them, but quickly changed his mind, his hand stopping in mid-grab. He folded his hands in his lap instead.

"When the attack started, Misato was picking me up at the train station. The mine they dropped on the angel rolled the car over, and she was hurt. Superman helped me get her out and get her to safety," he said nervously. "He asked for my help in return."

"What?" said Kensuke. "You're an intern, how could you-"

"I was supposed to be a pilot," he said quietly. "I failed the test, I guess."

They both stared at him. "You mean like the devil, and that quiet girl."

"Yeah," said Shinji. "Every once in a while, he asks me for a favor and I do something for him. He brought me that and asked me to get you to check it out. I guess he's not good with computers."

Kensuke nodded. "I see. What do you think?" He looked at Toji.

Toji nodded. "It is a great honor. We will keep your secret."

For good measure, he bowed. Shinji sighed even harder and scrubbed his hands through his hair.

"Superman's Pal," said Toji, "Shinji Ikari."

"So you think the robot was sabotaged," Kensuke said quietly. "By who?"

Shinji shrugged. "I'm not sure, yet. But I… we are going to find out. I'll let you know anything I find out, but you have to keep this secret."

They both nodded.

"Good," said Shinji. "I have to get going."

"Yeah," said Toji. "Me too."

Kensuke shrugged. "I'll head back with Toji, unless… we could meet him."

Shinji's eyes widened. "Uh, no, I don't think he'd appreciate me letting anyone in on this."

Kensuke nodded. "Another time? You could ask."

"I'll ask," said Shinji.

* * *

><p>"I said I'm not coming in," Ritsuko said harshly.<p>

"I'm sorry," said Maya, the phone making her voice tinny. "I didn't mean…"

"I know," Ritsuko sighed. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Tomorrow, I promise."

"Okay," said Maya. "Let us know if…"

"I will," she said sharply, and then slapped her phone shut.

Ritsuko lay on her bed, the mattress bare of sheets and linens, swaddled in an old button-down shirt. She pulled her knees up to her chest and lay there for a while, her head resting on the mattress. The texture of the bed top felt rough on her cheek, and too hot, but she'd balled everything up in the corner and would have burned it if she'd had the energy to be theatrical. As it was, she was going to drag it down to the laundry later, making sure no one would see her.

She lay there for what felt like forever until she sat up, wincing. She felt liked she'd spent two hours in a rock tumbler and then sat down in poison ivy for good measure. Her feet hurt when they touched the floor, but that was mostly from fatigue. She looked at herself in the mirror with her smeared, day old makeup and the bruise on her chin and felt dumpy and old, and quickly headed for the kitchen. She was staring at the coffee pot and the pint of chocolate ice cream she had in the freezer when she heard a knock at the door, and froze. It wasn't the front door, it was the glass door to her balcony.

Ritsuko lived on the fourth floor.

She quickly limp-jogged into her bedroom, pulled open her top drawer, and pulled out her gun. Not big and chunky like Misato's service pistol, it was a small, rounded, thin piece she wasn't supposed to have and could easily hide. She'd thought about using it last night, first on him and then on herself, but she never had the courage. She clutched it to her chest, almost pointing it to her chin as she moved across her living room on the balls of her feet, imitating some spy movie. She thrust the blinds along the glass door aside, and screamed.

It was _him._

The gun was useless. She opened the door and Superman lighted on the balcony, his weight sagging onto his feet in a curious motion, as if he could switch his own gravity on and off. Some scientific part of her brain wanted to file that away, but she was too tired and she was hurting all over and it hurt to walk now that the adrenaline was gone. She flicked the safety on her gun and threw it lightly on the couch as she walked away from him, motioning for him to enter, not caring that the shirt barely covered her ass.

"What do you want?"

He blinked. "I… are you okay?"

"They know you're here," she said, flatly. "I'll probably be killed because of this."

He cocked his head to the side. "There aren't any listening devices in your apartment, Doctor Akagi. I looked."

She looked at him for a second. "Excuse me?"

"I," he said sheepishly, shifting on his feet. It made his cape wiggle a little. "I can see through walls."

A moment of childish panic seized her, and she reflexively threw her arm over her chest, cursing herself when she realized what she'd done. He threw his hands up in alarm and apologies tumbled out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, it's not like that, I can't look through your… well I mean I can, but I wouldn't want to…" he looked even more panicked, "I mean I would want to, you look very nice, but I wouldn't do that because…"

He trailed off and his hands fell to his sides. She saw his eyes trace the shape of the bruise on her jaw and drift elsewhere, as if sizing her up.

"Oh my God," he whispered.

She bit her lip, even as stretching the bruise made it hurt, and her eyes stung.

"I," he said quietly, "I need your help."

She saw he had something tucked in his belt, a roll of printer paper. His hand drifted to it, trembling. "I… what happened to you?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, and sharply. "I fell down the stairs when I got home last night. I was tired. I haven't slept much lately."

He swallowed. "I don't think…"

"Give me that," she said, sharply.

He pulled the papers loose and handed them to her. She unfolded them, saw words circled in red, and half fell onto the couch, folding the papers loosely in half in her hand as she did. A ragged sob took her, and the shaking of it hurt. She felt the weight of him sit down beside her, surprisingly light for some reason. Maybe he had hollow bones, and… the thought made a giggle bubble up through her lips and she hated herself for it, crushing her eyes in with her hand to fight back the sting of tears even as she laughed at herself. She was so _stupid._

"Are you… you're not okay."

"No," she said, thickly.

Haltingly, he put his hand up behind her, as if he meant to put a hand on her shoulder, but she stiffened. He hesitated a moment more, and then finally, gently took her shoulder, carefully avoiding the bruise around her neck.

"I kind of looked under your shirt," he said, blushing furious. "Your arm was in the way, so…"

"I don't care," she mumbled.

"I don't understand what's going on."

She looked at him, really looked at him. He was so familiar, somehow, and strikingly handsome. There was a quiet way about him. She worked her mouth opened and closed without speaking for a while, wanting to squirm out of his grasp. How could he be real? No one like him was real. If he was real, he wouldn't touch something dirty like her.

She folded her arms in her lap and leaned into the back of the couch.

"I inserted the sabotage code into Jet Alone," she said flatly. "It was supposed to just walk in the wrong direction for a while. I upped the power to keep it moving, and…"

"Why?"

The question, so simple, and so earnest, as if he didn't really understand was actually confused, was what did it. "To eliminate the competition, I suppose. I… I had to."

"It's not your fault," he said dumbly.

"I _know!"_ she shouted, "He made me! _He always makes me!" _

She didn't realize she was screaming at him until she opened her eyes and saw, blurred by tears, the absolute look of shock on his face told her everything she needed to know. He must have been as quick as he was strong.

"No," he said quietly. "You don't mean.."

She jumped up and darted into the kitchen, fighting not to limp, and failing. He walked in slowly after her.

"Go away," she said sharply. "You got what you needed, now…"

"I can't leave you like this."

She blinked. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am!" she shouted, hurling the coffee pot at him. Somehow, he plucked it from the air, catching and redirecting it so gently that not a drop spilled. To her surprise, he scanned the room, walked over to her pantry, and pulled out two cups.

"It's cold," she said, dumbly.

He shrugged, looked intently at the pot, and to her utter shock, a thin wisp of steam rose from the surface of the coffee. He poured out two steaming cups, and she sat down. She held the cup on her hands, turning it slightly with her fingers. She didn't look at him. She fought the urge to giggle, from the absurdity. She was drinking coffee with Superman.

"How long?"

She didn't look at him. She didn't even know why she was telling him. "Since I started working for Nerv. I was hired out of graduate school, for my engineering degree."

"You're a medical doctor, and an enginner," said Superman. "I know. It's very impressive."

"Th-thank you," she said, smearing at her cheek with the back of her hand. "When I first got here, he was… he was _dashing_. He made me laugh, he was so clever. It was like he knew everything to do, but… something came up."

"What?"

She looked at him. "I can't tell you. I really can't. They'll kill me."

"Alright," he said.

"It was like that for years, but he started to get angrier, crueler, like there was something else in him. I don't know how to explain it. There was a time when I… I hoped… I thought maybe he would ask me to…"

His eyes widened.

"I didn't matter. Things at work were tense, and I… I wanted to break it off. I tried to break it off. It didn't stop him."

Her coffee cup jumped, and to her astonishment, she realized it was because he's snorted out a hard breath. His face was red, and his fists were clenched. She was a little afraid, and as if he could sense it, he softened. "I'm sorry."

"He didn't hurt me at first," said Ritsuko. "That came later. It was as if he knew I didn't want it, and he _liked knowing_."

"Then why…"

"I don't know," she said, biting of a sob. "I didn't try to fight him off or anything, he just started getting more… aggressive. Now, he throws me around a little every time we…"

That tenseness came over him again. "It's my fault. I just do whatever he-"

"It is not your fault," he said, maybe more stridently than she intended.

"Yes it is," she said, sharply. "I deserve…"

"No," he cut her off, "You do not."

She was on her feet before she realized. "You don't know what I've done!"

"I know it doesn't matter," he said calmly, hands folded around his coffee cup, looking her right in the eye. "No one deserves that. No one."

"If you knew the things I mean… I'm a horrible, horrible person."

He stood up. "You may have done something wrong, but you're still a human being, and there is good in you. I can see it, even if you can't."

"Bullshit," she hissed. "Get out, I don't want to hear this. I told you, if you knew _half_ of what I've done, you'd want to kill me yourself."

"That's not true."

She turned away from him, leaning on the counter. "I'm scum. I deserve everything Gendo does to me and more."

He took her by the shoulders and to her immense shock, he hugged her. It was a calm, almost fatherly embrace. Her arms hung at her side, limp, and her eyes were wide with surprise. It was the most reassuring thing she could remember ever feeling. He was so strong, so _sure, _like nothing could move him without his wanting it to. It was like being held by a castle.

"You're better than you think you are."

He let her go. She stood there for a second.

With that, he picked up the papers he'd brought from her coffee table, walked out of the apartment, and flew away. She stumbled after him, watching the way he just sort of floated up into the air and started willfully moving into the blue, picking up speed as he went. She sank down onto the floor against the wall, and in an explosive wail, the tears came full force. She cried and cried for hours, because he sounded so _sure_.

* * *

><p>Gendo Ikari leaned into his steepled fingers, regarding the flickering image of the Chairman opposite his desk. The old gargoyle was in a rare mood today, sitting up from his support chair with wires and tubes streaming out from behind him.<p>

"I know not whether to chastise you, or congratulate you," Keel roared. "The Jet Alone project is dead, but the Secretary General of the United Nations is baying for blood over your refusal to deploy the Evangelion."

"It was the correct decision," said Gendo.

"I am thoroughly annoyed," said Keel. "The woman presumes to _chide me._"

Gendo resisted the urge to grin. "Your point being?"

"There are some in the United Nations who believe the tail wags the dog, as it were. Jet Alone is dead, but she insists that there will be funding for other alternatives to the Evangelion program. Your display of 'callous indifference' makes it clear why such power shouldn't be concentrated in one man's hands."

"You almost sound as if you believe her."

Keel snorted. "Should such a situation arise again, I hope you will offer some token support to the unenlightened authorities."

Gendo leaned back. "Ridiculous. Once our sacred work is complete, their input will no longer matter."

Keel eyed him, or would have, had the man eyes. His face twisted around the clunky binocular implant he used to see. "Until that work is completed, we must concern ourselves with temporal affairs. I have suffered it for eighty years. You will last a few months."

"I see," said Gendo. "Unit Two is due to arrive in three weeks. Are there any considerations I need to make?"

Keel smiled a viper's smile. "Yes. Nagisa is coming with it. I expect you will take excellent care of him. He has the refined tastes of his father.

Gendo did an admirable job of stifling his laughter. "I see. He will be accommodated, of course. The Scrolls speak of the next attack coming by sea…"

"Yes. You will make the necessary preparations, of course."

Gendo nodded, and Keel vanished in a wisp of light. He leaned back in his chair and scrubbed at his eyes with his fingers, then slipped his glasses back on. He flipped the switch on his desk to raise the shield that slid over his window, and turned, his head resting in his hands. When he lifted his head, he jumped and nearly fell out of his chair.

The boy was on the other side of his window, standing on the empty air, arms crossed, gazing down on him in judgment. Gendo reached over and flipped a second switch, and there was a blast of cool air from the Geofront cavern as the glass slid downwards and came to rest halfway, letting in the outside air. The breeze rustled the cape he wore about his legs, and made tiny strands of his hair drift this way and that.

Gendo stood up. "Hello."

The boy continued to stare at him.

"Well?"

Silence.

"Ah. You mean to intimidate me."

Again, silence.

"Are you going to hover there all day?"

He paced closer to the window. Looming over him, the boy traced his movement with his eyes, but said nothing. Gendo put his hands in his pockets. A quiet smile spread across his face. "Well?"

He came closer, drifting so close he was almost inside, floating down until he was at the same level as Gendo. He was a few inches shorter, or would have been if he'd stood on the ground. Gendo was not amused.

"Well? Did you mean to say something, or not?"

"Last night," he said very slowly, and very calmly, "Was the last time."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gendo said, cursing the soft, barely noticeable waver in his own voice. "My affairs are none of your-"

Very deliberately, the boy folded his arms again, drifted backwards, and then in a sudden blur and a rippling boom vanished, leaving Gendo staring out an open window into the cool underground air. Gendo Ikari breathed it in, and smiled surely to himself.

* * *

><p>You have been reading<p>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter Eight: The Problem with Robots_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Asuka found herself pacing her small bedroom, hugging herself and rubbing her shoulders. Her stomach was a flight of butterflies, and it was four in the morning, over two hours before she needed to wake. She knew she was drawing it out, that it would seem longer, but she couldn't sleep anymore. A curious mixture of fatigue and alertness fell on her, and to fill the time, she unpacked her already packed bag, to re-pack it. She, Misato, Rei Ayanami, and Shinji would be guests aboard the USS <em>Theodore Roosevelt<em> for two days while she sailed into port, escorting the barge carrying her Unit Two. The thought of piloting _her_ Eva gain excited her, but at the same time, she felt a terrible trepidation. Unit One had started to feel familiar, almost like home.

Then, there was the other. Kaji was on the _Roosevelt._ When Misato told her, it almost surprised her. She hadn't thought about him for days, maybe weeks. All she could think about was the night before she was bundled off in a great hurry, when he'd soundly and finally rebuffed her advances. She lifted the nightgown she'd bought with a wicked smile. It was light, airy, mostly transparent white trimmed with red ribbons. It would actually cover her from her knees to her neck, but at the same time, do a very poor job of concealing anything. It was a far cry from the t-shirt and shorts she normally slept in, a habit she'd picked up from Misato without realizing it.

Holding the skimpy gown, she tried to imagine Kaji opening the door to her cabin and falling silently into bed with her, but every time, she forgot herself, and she discovered someone else in his place, someone shorter and slighter without the shaggy two day growth of beard and sloppy grin, someone quiet and unassuming but strong and kind, and in her mind's eye, she'd reach up and slip his glasses off as she…

She shook her head, startled at herself. Quickly, she folded the gown and pressed it into her suitcase, on the very bottom in case Misato decided, for some reason, to look over what she'd packed. On top of it she layered on series of dresses, the tight fitting yellow sun dress she so favored and a green one and several others, to suit her many moods. She had the bag near to bursting and had to pack her cosmetics and accessories and second, smaller bag. She'd bought a bottle of her own perfume, the same kind Misato wore. She packed that last, turning the small, multi-faceted bottle in her fingers, and something in the back of her mind tempted her to leave it behind. She ignored it, biting her lip, and slipped it into the bag anyway.

When Misato and Shinji's alarm clocks went off, Asuka was already sitting at the kitchen table waiting for them in an airy red dress with matching shoes and a ribbon tied around her throat, tapping the balls of her feet on the floor, head in hand. The bird emerged from his tiny home, looked at her, turned around, and disappeared back into his icy abode. Shinji had already stocked him with layers of half-frozen sardines that would feed him while they were gone.

Misato, shockingly, got dressed and ready in about ten minutes, and in no less than her full dress uniform, and without any complaint. Asuka eyed her warily, feeling that something was amiss. She rummaged around for a can of chilled coffee and leaned against the counter while Shinji got ready.

"Did you bring your homework?"

"What?" Asuka blurted. "No, why would I-"

"Because you're failing all your classes."

"I took them all already!" she snapped. "I've already graduated from high school, and university."

"Yes," said Misato, "but you didn't take them in Japanese. Look, I don't expect you to pass them all with flying colors, you're busy being an Eva pilot and that's more important, but I want you to get a full social experience while you're here. All I ask is that you pass."

"Bah," Asuka waved her hand.

"So," said Misato. "I've made arrangements. Shinji will tutor you."

Asuka sat up, stiffly. "What?"

"I asked him, and he said yes. He gets perfect scores on everything, it's incredible. He's like some kind of robot."

"Being a pilot is a little more intense than being someone's intern," Asuka grumbled. "It's not like he's going out saving the world on a regular basis."

Misato snorted. As if on cue, Shinji emerged, his hair still wet, dressed in his school uniform of all things. Asuka looked him up and down.

"Is that what you're wearing?"

"I don't really have anything else," he said, sheepishly.

Asuka rolled her eyes, tilting her head theatrically. "Of course. You and Rei, peas in a pod. I swear, it's like you're brother and sister."

Shinji merely shrugged.

"Shinji," said Misato. "Do you have the school stuff?"

He nodded, lifting his suitcase. It was markedly smaller than Asuka's bags.

"Get our bags, will you?" said Misato, striding out of the room. "I have a phone call to make."

"My tutor, huh," said Asuka, after she'd left.

"Yes," said Shinji. "Misato asked if I could-"

"Yeah," Asuka said, eyes narrowing. "Cute. If you try anything-"

"Try anything?" he said, innocently.

Asuka sighed. "Never mind."

Misato poked her head in the kitchen. "Come on," she said. "We have to get to the VTOL in half an hour."

"VTOL?" said Shinji.

"What's the matter," said Asuka. "Never flown before?"

The question seemed to startle him. "No," he said, "Not on one of those. Or at all, really."

"Just be glad you didn't eat a big breakfast," said Misato. "Let's not be late."

* * *

><p>Maya had a headache. The screens in Central Dogma always gave her a headache, but it was particularly bad today. She'd been on watch for three hours, next to Hyuga and Aoba, and they were all profoundly bored. Aoba seemed content to bop his head along to some inaudible music, while Hyuga was poring over some magazine the newspaper put out, all color pictures of Superman in action. He reacted to each image as though it were unfolding before him, cringing or pumping his fist. Maya flicked through page after page of synchronization data and occasionally glanced at the blue pattern detection system, alternately wishing it would spike and sent out an alarm, and cursing herself for being childish. It would be better if there were no more alerts ever again.<p>

Her phone rang, and she put it to her ear.

"Maya," said Doctor Akagi, "Can you come down to my lab for a minute? I need a second opinion on something."

Dutifully, Maya stood up, stretched, and half-limped out of the control room on a sleeping leg. She had pins and needles burning in her thigh by the time she reached the elevator and rubbed the muscle, knowing it wouldn't do any good but doing it anyway just for something to do. She felt less stiff by the time she reached the cage level where the doctor worked, and forced herself to walk normally when she slid her key card through the security reader and opened the door.

She yelped as she walked inside. There was a stranger in the doctor's lab, a woman of similar build in a labcoat, but with short close-shorn brown hair in a spiky pixie cut.

"Who are you?" Maya demanded, reaching for the phone.

When Doctor Akagi turned around, it took Maya a moment to recognize her. She looked completely different, without her bleached bob. She'd gotten new glasses, too, still light wire frames but a slightly different shape to the lenses.

"Well?" she said.

"Wow," said Maya. "You look really pretty." She winced. "I, um, I mean, what did you-"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Maya. I knew it would be a shock. Do I look that bad?"

"No!" Maya said hurriedly, "You look really nice."

The two women stared at each other for a moment. There was an uncomfortable stillness.

"Did you, um,"

"Yes," said Doctor Akagi. "The synch data for the new pilot just came in."

"New pilot?" said Maya.

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "New to us, anyway." She held up a manila folder. "He's from the German branch, apparently been training for years…"

Maya touched her chin. "That's weird. Asuka never mentioned another pilot."

"Asuka talks to you?" said Doctor Akagi, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well," said Maya, looking at the floor. "No, but if there was another pilot she'd say something about his ratios, I'm sure."

Ritsuko nodded. "Good point. Sit down."

Maya's breathing quickened as she sat down next to her mentor, who opened the folder. She blinked, and her breath caught, when she saw the folder clipped inside the dossier. He looked like Rei. Well, sort of. His facial structure was different, and had he different coloring, they actually would have looked nothing alike, but as it was, the resemblance was striking. His hair was a fine silvery color, and the way he had it cut reminded Maya of a baby chick- it was actually kind of cute. His skin, though, his skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and he had the red eyes of an albino, but even redder, not from the lack of pigmentation that showed blood underneath, but a crimson hue of their own. It was unsettling, as if he was watching her through the picture.

"What's his name?" said Maya.

"Kaworu Nagisa," said Akagi, carefully pronouncing the name as she turned the page so they could read together. Maya found herself staring at the way the older woman tilted her head slightly while she read, and craned her neck over the papers.

She shook herself out of it. "There isn't much here. He goes to a private school, there's no parents listed, no address, no vital statistics, just his synch data, and some of it's missing."

Akagi nodded.

"What's missing?"

Maya looked again, touching the figures and charts with her fingernail. "I don't know, Doctor-"

"Maya," she said, sharply. "Stop calling me that."

"What?" said Maya.

"My name is 'Ritsuko.'"

"Oh," said Maya. "I'm sorry, doc-"

The look silenced her. "Say it with me. Rit-su-ko."

"Ritsuko," said Maya.

"Better. What you're not seeing is the secondary and tertiary feeds. We have enough data in here to calibrate out systems, but nothing more. He's fundamentally different from the other pilots, including Rei, and look at his actual ratio."

"Wow," Maya breathed. "That's almost twenty percent higher than Asuka's."

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "Don't you think it's a little odd she never mentioned him? That she goes around claiming she has the highest ratio?"

Maya shrugged. "I thought you helped select the pilots. Doesn't the Institute use some of the data you've collected?"

"I review some of their findings," Ritsuko said, glancing away. "I've never heard of him. I can look up when Asuka went to the bathroom during a test five years ago, but there's no records of this Nagisa at all."

"That's really weird," said Maya. "Why…"

Ritsuko sat up, and took in a deep breath, then nodded.

"Why does he look so much like Rei? Asuka isn't like that."

Ritsuko looked around, nervously. "I can't talk about that."

"Oh," said Maya. "I guess I should get back upstairs. I have to…"

Ritsuko touched her hand, just ghosting her fingertips over the back of her palm. "I was hoping I could see you privately."

"You mean, you want me to help out in the lab?"

"No," said Ritsuko. "I was thinking, actually… coffee."

"Oh," said Maya.

* * *

><p>Shinji was beginning to grow tired of the VTOL. Flying in the big-bellied craft was cramped, uncomfortable, and loud, with the constant drone of the engines in his ears. It was quiet enough in the cabin to speak, but no one was talking. They'd lost sight of land over an hour ago, and there was nothing but the deep blue sea spread out underneath him. It occurred to him that he'd be more comfortable outside. Misato had fallen asleep, and her head was resting on Shinji's shoulder, forcing him to remain still for fear of waking her up. Asuka was staring daggers at her, between glances out the window.<p>

Rei was seated across from him, and Shinji had to fight not look at her. Fuyutsuki told him they were related somehow, but that information was buried under the confusion he felt. Before, she'd been strange and almost frightening with her pale skin and roughly shorn hair, but after Misato and Asuka had their hands on her for an afternoon, she looked like a different person. Instead of her customary school uniform she had on a sky blue sun dress, and she was wearing makeup, making her cheekbones stand out more, and her eyes seem a little bigger. They'd gotten her a haircut, and it closely resembled the way she normally wore her hair, but trimmed neatly and brushed to a high sheen, like polished steel. She stared vaguely at the floor, looking at nothing, obviously deep in thought.

Suddenly, Asuka grew excited, pulling at her safety harness. Misato woke up, blinking.

"What?" she slurred.

"I see it!"

Shinji sat up turned to look out the window beside him. Streaking across the blue expanse was a great armada of ships and boats, pulling long white trails behind them. They were arranged in tight circles, the smaller vessels ringed around the larger ones- two aircraft carriers flanking a gigantic barge, mostly covered with a brown tarp of enormous size. Here and there, the wind lifted the edges and he saw the bright crimson armor of the Evangelion underneath, Unit Two.

He undid his seat belt and turned to get a better look. He saw through the tarp, and the Eva within, lying face down in a shallow pool of LCL that was being pumped over it with hoses. There was a plug mounted in the exposed neck joint, and an umbilical was coiled alongside it, ready to connect to the Eva itself, as if they were expecting to power it up. Something about that made him nervous.

"Shinji," Misato said, "Come on, strap in. We're going to land."

He did as he was bid and pushed back into the seat, trying to look queasy as the craft sharply rolled to the side and began to turn. Asuka grabbed the straps of her safety harness and actually looked a little green, pressing her lips together so hard they turned white, and closing her eyes. For her part, Rei simply looked out the window and leaned into the turn, seemingly unconcerned. The center of the fleet swept out of view as it came under the nose of the craft, and they leveled out. The engines started to swing, spinning up to maintain level flight, and the entire craft tilted backwards at a lazy angle.

The broad deck of the carrier swept out on either side as the VTOL descended, slowing and moving from a diagonal descent to a straight vertical one, pushing this way and that with the thrusting of small jets. It came to rest with a squeal of tires as the engines rapidly spun down, dropping the entire weight of the vehicle on the landing gear with a sudden lurch that made Asuka put her hand to her mouth.

"Are you okay?" said Shinji.

She pinched her eyes shut and nodded, then gradually took her hand down. "Fine," she said, hoarsely.

Shinji undid his harness and stood up, steadying himself as the floor shifted slightly beneath him, and dropped into the seat beside her.

"I said I'm fine," she snapped, quickly.

"I know," he said. He helped her stand up, and she didn't begrudge him. Rei and Misato, meanwhile, freed themselves and stood, Misato pulling at their bags.

"Shinji," she said, "Help me here."

Gingerly, he let go of Asuka and took their bags in bundles, two or three in each hand, and waited for the ramp to open. The back of the craft scissored up with a mechanical grind and a long ramp slid out, extending from the floor before it clicked into place and lowered to the deck of the carrier with a series of thumps. Shinji shouldered some of the bags and held the rest in his hands as he descended, ducking his head under the door. Asuka leaned on Misato on her way down, and seemed to brighten a bit once she was outside.

The sky above was perfectly clear, and a sharp, chill wind whipped across the deck, tugging at their clothes. A tall man with a ponytail flailing to his side like a flag stood with a knot of officers in white uniforms on the deck. Shinji fell in behind the others as they walked towards them, Asuka moving slowly as she grabbed her skirts to hold them down, Rei not seeming to care.

As the group drew closer, the officers fanned out, the man with the ponytail took the lead. Shinji took a liking to him almost immediately. He had an easy manner, carrying his jacket over his shoulder. There was someone else he hadn't noticed before, though, a thin, willow boy dressed in clothes eerily similar to his own, pale of skin with silver hair and haunted red eyes. Shinji blinked. In the boy's chest, tucked behind his breastbone, was a red sphere, pushing his lungs and stomach out of the way, smooth and hard.

Shinji froze.

"What are you doing here?" Misato said, icily.

The man with the ponytail grinned at her. "Supervising the transfer. I-"

"Kaji!" Asuka squealed, darting forward. She locked her arms around him and pushed him back a step with the fury of her embrace. He blinked, holding his arms out wide, and looked nervously at the naval officers.

"Asuka!" Misato snapped.

Rei just looked confused, until she saw the boy. She froze, her hands trembling slightly, eyes wide. Shinji watched them both, suddenly aware that he was being ignored.

Asuka detached herself. "I missed you so," she beamed, "It's been so dreary and dull without you, trapped a half a world away."

Kaji deliberately distanced himself, moving towards Misato. "So," he said, "You're here for the transfer. I didn't think you'd bring the kids."

"Asuka can help us with the inspection," said Misato, "and Rei… doesn't get out enough."

The silver-haired boy appeared beside Kaji. Shinji blinked, realizing he'd somehow lost track of him for a moment. He moved with an easy, quick grave, always smiling slightly, as if at some private joke. Rei took a reflexive step back.

The boy bowed slightly. "Greetings. I am Kaworu Nagisa."

"You're the Third Child?" Asuka said, her voice wavering slightly.

Nagisa fixed her with his crimson eyes, taking a step closer to her. "Yes. You must be Soryu. I have heard ever so much about you."

He quickly clasped her hand, lifted it, and bowed forward, as if it meant to kiss her knuckles. Asuka darted back, hair whirling.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Forgive me," said Nagisa. "I was brought up to observe the old continental courtesies. I apologize if I offended you."

"Don't _ever_ touch me," Asuka growled.

Shinji stepped to her side immediately, almost without realizing it.

"And this," said Nagisa, turning to him, "Must be Ikari. I've so been looking forward to meeting you. I imagine we have much in common."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Shinji said, flatly. Asuka glanced at him.

Nagisa had already moved on to Misato. "Ah, and my commanding officer. I have looked forward to meeting you, Captain. All of Nerv Berlin is enchanted with your beauty and grace."

Kaji snorted. Misato's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Uh," she said, "Thank you, Kaworu. I-"

"Ayanami," he said, drifting past her. "I have been _so_ eager to meet you. I was hoping you would permit me to call you Rei."

Rei said nothing, eyes wide, and took a step back. Nagisa continued to approach her, until Shinji dropped the bags he held and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

Nagisa turned over his shoulder and looked back, eyes narrowing, and shrugged out from Shinji's grip. The two regarded each other.

"Ah," said Kaji, "The officers have invited us to dinner in the admiral's stateroom," said Kaji. "If you would all follow me—"

"Alas," said Kaworu, "I have my studies. I think I shall take supper in my cabin. Good day to you."

As the boy sauntered off, Shinji took up the bags again. There was a silence on the deck, save for the cutting winds and the distant sounds of sailors about their business, scurrying about in orange jumpsuits. The officers were making their introductions to Misato, and when they finished, the group continued along the deck towards the "island", the huge tower that jutted from the side of the deck.

Asuka fell in beside him, and Rei beside her. "What the _hell_ is he supposed to be?"

Shinji shrugged. "He gives me the creeps."

Asuka glanced at Rei. "Are you… cousins with him or something?"

Rei looked at her, considering for a moment. "I do not know who he is."

A young man in a crisp white uniform approached them.

"I'm Ensign Baker," he said, talking to Shinji. "I'm told you're carrying the luggage."

Shinji glanced at the profusion of bags hanging from his shoulders and hands.

"Yeah," said the Ensign. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll show you your quarters so you can drop everything off."

Shinji nodded, and broke off to follow him.

* * *

><p>Rei observed.<p>

Last week, Doctor Akagi had informed her that her medication schedule would be changing. Rei paid it little mind, as she felt no particular interest in what her drugs were called or what they actually did, so long as she was able to keep up with the regimen, and they performed their purpose. Since they had been visibly reduced, she presumed that whatever conditions they were meant to prevent were less of a problem, and she would be weaned off of them. It was for the better, as she considered the swallowing of her heaping dose of medication a mild annoyance.

Something was different. Before, she had been building a web of discrete facts on her wall, pinned in place and connected with color coded lengths of yarn to draw them together into a cohesive whole. Now, she no longer needed the pieces of yarn. Facts and bits of data appeared to her everywhere, arising from the environment to catch her attention, and she could see the connections between them without a visual aid, as though the world was connected with an endless, intricate tapestry of strings, vibrating like the strings on a guitar.

Though she had never met this Mister Kaji, she could tell from the way he carried himself that he had combat training. The way he occasionally patted his hip and his gait dragged slightly to one side suggested he was carrying a concealed firearm and was unconsciously worried it would be seen. As she watched him banter with Captain Katsuragi, new connections formed, new understanding. The way he continuously glanced at her breasts and hips and took in slightly deeper breaths when he was close to her suggested a strong sexual interest. Her behavior had changed as well, her movements becoming tighter, more nervous, her breathing shallower, and her pupils had dilated. She allowed a thick strand of hair to fall loose from her ponytail, and continuously flicked it with her hand while she spoke to him. This behavior was at odds with the way she scowled.

She turned to Soryu and Ikari. Their behavior was similar, but clumsier. Soryu constantly bumped into him, and though there was adequate room at the table for them both, sat so near to him they might as well have shared a chair. Even though they did not speak to each other with any frequency, both stared at the other. A pattern emerged where she would stare at him until he noticed, their eyes met, and they both looked away, followed by him re-starting the same pattern of activity, over and over. He said something to her about studying for a chemistry test, and she blushed deeply as her back arched slightly.

"So Rei," said Kaji, turning to her. "How's it going?"

She put her fork down. It was an effort not to stare at it. She knew, somehow, that the lattice structure of this particular alloy was-

"Rei?"

She shook her head. "I am sorry. How is what going?"

"Life?"

"East," said Rei, taking another bite of food. It had potassium benzoate in it, for its preservative properties.

"That's, ah, not what I meant."

"Our Rei is quite a character," said Captain Katsuragi.

Rei blinked. She was reasonably certain she was not a fictional character.

"I mean," Kaji said, glancing at Katsuragi with a feigned annoyance, "How do you feel? How are you doing?"

"It is cold in here," said Rei, "and the only part of this dish I would like to eat is the 'mashed potatoes.' I dislike eating meat."

Kaji stared at her. "Okay," he said.

Rei stared at the cut of beef on her plate. The smell of it disturbed her. She pushed it back from her place. The naval officer standing nearby with a towel over his forearm looked displeased with her, but said nothing.

"Oh," said Misato, "I forgot to mention that. Rei is a vegetarian."

The plate of meat was removed, and a few minutes later, a plate of greens and cut vegetables was set before her. She continued eating without particular interest in her food.

"Shinji," said Kaji, rudely talking through a mouthful of food, "You've been living with the girls."

"I am not a girl," Soryu said, sharply. "I'm a full grown woman."

That was not correct. Though she had likely reached ninety-eight percent of her likely adult height, Soryu was not fully developed, and was aware of her condition. She had mentioned to Horaki during their last shopping trip that she needed to purchase brassieres with a slightly larger band and cup size.

Kaji looked at her blankly for just a second. "As I was saying, how's it been, living with these two beauties?"

"I," Shinji started, blushing furious, "I, um, that is… nice, I guess?"

"Oh," said Kaji, "when I was your age, I would have killed to be you. I imagine every boy in class envies you, living with Asuka."

Rei flicked her gaze back and forth between Katsuragi and Soryu. They eyed each other in a curious way. Katusragi scowled at Kaji all the more furiously, while Soryu slowly lowered her fork to her plate, an unusual look of confusion on her face. She began glancing back and forth from Kaji to Shinji.

Shinji looked frustrated. He leaned his arm on the table and slipped his glasses off, and pinched at the bridge of his nose. Rei started, dropping her fork. Something _arranged_ itself in her mind, tightened, and she held her breath. She could feel it, like a presence behind her, something she couldn't see no matter how she turned.

Then, she burped.

Everyone at the table stared at her.

"Excuse me," she said politely.

Kaji shrugged, and turned back to the others. "So, Asuka. Are you and Shinji an item yet?"

Rei watched from the corner of her eye, curious. She expected a violent, angry reaction from Soryu given how the subject seemed to inflame her when Horaki broached it, but was confronted with quite the opposite. Soryu stood up slowly, pushing back from the table without looking at Kaji.

"I'm full," she said. "I'm going to my quarters."

As Soryu left, Shinji stood up, but Captain Katsuragi took his arm. "Let her go," she said.

Shinji looked confused and somewhat saddened, staring at his feet as he glumly sat down to continue eating, resting his cheek on his hand. He stirred the food on his plate idly with his fork, poking at his own salad. Rei cocked her head to the side. She did not know he disliked eating meat, as well. Captain Katsuragi's voice indicated actual anger when she spoke.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she said, sharply.

Kaji stared at her. "What?"

Katsuragi shook her head. "You're a jerk."

Captain Katsuragi stood and left, without speaking, leaving her alone with Shinji and Kaji. Rei continued eating, somewhat relieved at the silence. Shinji finished the last of his food, stuffing his mouth so that a sprig of lettuce was sticking out from between his lips, and hurried away. Rei glanced after him.

"So," said Kaji. "Just you and me, huh."

"Yes," said Rei.

"So," he said.

"Yes?"

He looked at her. He was noting the color of her hair and studying her eyes.

"I guess albinism is a quality they look for in pilots."

"I am not an albino," said Rei.

"Huh."

"So tell me…"

"Yes."

He folded his hands in front of his face and leaned forward. "How do you like being a pilot?"

"I do not like or dislike it."

"Then why do you do it?"

She shrugged a small shrug, and pushed her plate back.

"It's funny," he said. "I've read your file, but it doesn't say anything about your parents, or where you were born."

"I cannot speak about this to you," said Rei, standing up. "I have been ordered to report any such inquiries."

She watched him. His eyes flickered, but he continued smiling, at least with his lips. He tensed visibly, weighing her.

"Oh," he said, "I meant no offense. I was just curious."

"I see," said Rei. "I must go."

* * *

><p>"How could he say that?"<p>

Asuka looked around. The cramped quarters gave her no answer.

The room was abominably small. It made Shinji's little closet look like a hotel suite. Everything was plastic and metal, carefully designed to take up as little space as possible. There was an old tube television on a cracked plastic cart, but she didn't think it worked. Sitting on the thin mattress of her bunk, she stared down at her bags and wondered what the hell she was doing here. She was the one who asked Misato come out for the inspection of Unit Two, and somehow that turned into Shinji and Rei tagging along.

There was a knock at her door.

"Asuka? It's me," said Shinji, muffled by the metal.

"Go away," she said thickly.

"We're supposed to study for the physics test-"

"I don't care about the stupid physics test," she shouted, her voice cracking. "I said go away."

Silence.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" she shouted, pitching her shoe at the door.

She folded her legs under and rested against the wall, fuming. How could he say that? She came all this way to see him and he just ignored her, fawning all over Misato and then to ask her about _Shinji. _ Hikari was always singing that stupid song too, how kind and gentle and handsome Shinji is, like he was the best thing in the damned world. She was getting so sick of it, she was about to tell Hikari to ask him out herself if she thought he was so damned great.

She watched the clock ticking, wondering if it was right. She heard voices in the hallway outside, the others talking to one another; Misato shouting, Rei's soft, inaudible comments about something, and Shinji sighing. She'd recognize that sound anywhere. She pulled her knees up and leaned on them, brooding.

She might have fallen asleep, she wasn't sure. The next time she glanced at the clock, it was after midnight, and she felt stiff, her eyes sticky, her mouth dry. She slipped down onto the floor and opened her back, pulling it up onto the bed. She pulled out the gauzy nightgown and her terrycloth robe and laid them out, and then stripped out of her clothes, leaving on only the red satin underwear she'd chosen. She dropped the nightgown down over her head, pulled on the robe, and stole out into the hall in her soft slippers. Kaji's room was down the hall, past Shinji's.

She padded on the balls of her feet, careful not to make any noise, pausing at Misato's door. She was snoring loudly. Asuka relaxed a little and made her way up to the door, and rapped on it softly. She heard a groan, the sound of the lock ratcheting open, and the hatch swung in. Kaji stood there in all his glory, tie discarded, shirt open, a pencil gripped in his mouth. He had some papers or something spread out on his small desk.

She stepped just inside the door, but he didn't budge. Trembling, her fingers fumbled with the knot of her robe. Kaji's eyes went wide, and the pencil dropped out of his mouth. Almost roughly, he grabbed the collar of her robe and closed it tightly around her neck. Her hands dropped to her sides.

"No," he said sharply, but quietly. "No, no, _no._ Go back to your room and go to sleep."

"But-"

"I said no."

"Please, just let me-"

"_No_, Asuka! I'm old enough to be your father! _Go back to bed!" _

She hugged herself. "But you're not my-"

"I said go," he said, thickly.

She stumbled backwards, and he closed the door in her face. She stood there shaking, staring at his door. Her eyes stung fiercely, and she fought so hard to keep them dry, it hurt. She snuffed as she ran the sleeve of her robe under her nose. She knocked again, and this time there was no answer but silence. She made a soft, strangled sound that was half cough and half sob, and darted back to her room. She tripped over something, maybe her own feet, and spilled across the floor, another half-sob gurgling out of her throat.

Shinji picked her up. He knelt down and slid his arms under her shoulders and her knees and scooped her off of the floor. She curled up and he carried her, turning sideways to carry her into her room. He brushed the suitcase off the bed as he rested her on it, supporting her head as she came to rest on the pillow.

He turned.

"Don't go," she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she even realized it.

"I'm not," he said as he swung the door shut, nodding to someone outside. He latched it and came over to crouch by her side. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head.

"Did he… did Mister Kaji…"

"No," she said quickly, sharply. "It's not like that."

"Oh."

He sat down on the bed. "Do you want to… umm… talk?"

She watched him for a second. "No," she said, "I don't want to talk."

She sat up. She grabbed him by the collar –he still had his stupid school uniform on, at least the shirt, anyway- and she kissed him. He jerked back for an instant, and then he kissed her back, slipping his arm around her waist. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled, dragging him onto the bed with her. She broke from the kiss, and the look of shock on his face, the way his breath quickened, excited her. With both hands on his shoulders, she pushed him down onto the bed, threw her leg over him, and sat on his waist. He had on a pair of sleeping shorts, and the skin of her thighs whispered against his.

"What are you-"

Fingers shaking wildly, she yanked furiously at the knot on her robe, only tightening it worse, and finally just gave up on it, tearing the robe open with her bare hands. Shinji tried to say something but made only a soft _glrk_ sound, his mouth hanging wide open. She fell forward, sliding her hands over his chest.

"Wait," he said, before she could kiss him again.

She froze. Her lips trembled so hard her jaw shook, and when she tried to speak only a soft gurgling came out.

"D-don't," she managed at last, "D-d-don't you like me?"

Slowly, carefully, he put his arms around her again, and turned until she fell onto the bed, and they lay side by side. He straightened her robe, covering her long legs. She folded her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. She bit down sharply on a sob.

He pressed her head onto his shoulder and held her, rocking gently.

"I do," he said. "You're the bravest person I know. You're smart and talented and kinder than you think you are."

"No," she said, her voice strained from dryness. "Don't you _like_ me."

"Yes," he said softly. "Sometimes, I look at you and…"

"What?"

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."

She put her head on the pillow, facing him, so close their noses almost touched. "Then why don't you want to… you know…"

He swallowed. "I do," he said, "but I'm not ready. I don't think it would be good for us."

"Why not?"

"We're too young," he said, "and you're too upset. It's not right. If we… did… that… and you w-woke up in the morning and hated me, I think I might die."

She looked at him for a while, just watched him breathe. "You mean that."

"Every word."

She sat up. "Okay," she said, softly.

"Stay here," he said, getting up. "I'm going to get you some water. I'll be right back."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

><p>Shinji's heart pounded in his chest, and he was afraid he would throw up. When he closed the door behind him, he doubled over on his knees, panting. He stood up, watched his trembling hands for a moment, and seemingly of their own accord, they curled into fists. He stomped down the hall, clenched hands at his sides, until he reached Kaji's room. Gently, he tapped on it three times with his knuckles, and waited. There was no response. He tapped on it again.<p>

"Go away," the man said from inside.

Shinji almost bit his tongue. "You have five seconds to get away from the door."

"What?"

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five."

He raised his hand, uncurled his fingers, and gave the door a sharp tap with his fingertips. It slammed open, banging hard against the inner wall. Papers and folders tumbled from the shelf lining the inside wall in a pile, and the lock mechanism clanged off the wall and bounced along the floor. Kaji stood up, pushing backwards from his desk as Shinji stepped inside. He closed the door behind him.

"What did you _do to her?" _

Kaji backed up until his knees hit the bed, hands up in surrender. "I swear, I didn't touch her!"

Shinji reached out, grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him off his feet. "What. Happened."

Kaji stared at him in shock. "Don't-"

Shinji dropped him onto the bed and leaned on the wall. "I'm not going to hurt you," he drew in a breath, flexing his fingers. "You have five minutes to explain what just happened, or I'm going to Misato. _She'll_ hurt you."

"Asuka has a crush on me," Kaji said, sitting down. "It's a thing teenage girls do. She always flirted with me, tried to crawl in bed with me a few times. Nothing happened."

Shinji watched him as he spoke. "Go on."

` "She… she has… I can't tell you the specifics, but Asuka has had a rough life. I tried to let her down gently before she left Berlin, but I guess it didn't take. I didn't want to upset her, but I couldn't get it go any further. You saw how she was dressed. She won't stop."

"You're not lying," said Shinji, folding his arms over his chest.

"No, I'm not. If I was going to take advantage of her, I already would have. She might as well be my daughter. Katsuragi and I raised her together for years before she left for Japan."

"I…" said Shinji. "I'm sorry. "

Kaji sat down. A small, matte black automatic pistol slid out of his waistband and bounced on the mattress. He picked it up, checked the safety, and put it on the desk. Shinji eyed it warily, until his hand left it.

"Don't worry," said Kaji. "I'm not going to shoot you. Not like it would do me any good."

The door swung open. Misato stood in the doorway, a pistol in her hand, eyes wide with fury. She looked down at Kaji, grinding her teeth as she spoke.

"What the _hell_ is going on?"

Kaji started to speak, but Shinji waved him off. He turned to Misato, gently taking the gun out of her hand as he told her what happened. She listened, nodding. When he finished, she took the weapon back and slid it in the waistband of her skirt, under her jacket.

"I didn't mean to upset her," said Kaji.

Misato said nothing. She stalked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her, and left the pair alone. Shinji sighed. "I have to get back to her."

"Yeah," said Kaji. "You know, you need to be more careful."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No," said Kaji, standing up. He cleared his throat and pointed at the remains of his door's latch on the floor. "At some point, I'm going to have to explain that, Shinji. You're lucky Misato didn't see it. She might wonder how you can bend steel with your bare hands."

Shinji's mouth clicked shut, and he sucked in a breath through his nostrils. "I," he said, "I uh, I work out…"

Kaji smirked, but sadly. "Tell her I'm sorry, will you?"

"No," said Shinji. "You will. When it's the right time."

He nodded, and Shinji knelt down. He picked up the lock mechanism, looked at it and the void in the door where it once rested. Carefully, he bent and folded it with his fingertips until he could jimmy it back into place, giving it a final tap with the heel of his hand to seat it.

One he was out, he ducked into his own room and scooped up a bottle of water, and headed back for Asuka.

Misato caught him in the hall, her hand on his arm.

He froze. If she heard Kaji…

"You're going back to Asuka's room."

He nodded.

She smiled a sad smile, and let go of his arm to ruffle his hair. "There's maybe one boy I would trust in the entire world."

Asuka was sitting on the bed when he returned. She'd taken the time to change into a simple tee shirt that hung down past her knees. He twisted the cap off the water bottle and handed it to her.

"Took you long enough," she snapped.

"Sorry," he said. "I forgot that I have no idea where the glasses are."

She smiled at him and took a drink, coughing a little. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She shifted herself until she was against the wall. His heart fluttered in his chest as he laid down beside her. Neither of them moved for a time, the both of them simply staring at the ceiling. He folded his hands on his chest, and suddenly _his_ throat felt dry.

"So," he said.

"So."

"Umm, Asuka?"

"What?"

"Will you go out with me?"

She made a choked sound that was mostly a laugh. "I guess so."

He closed his eyes, and his breathing became more regularly. He hadn't slept in a week, so he was actually tired.

"Hey," said Asuka.

"Yes?"

"Was that your first kiss?"

His eyes flicked open. She wasn't looking at him.

"Sort of."

"Sort of?" she said, sharply.

"I got kissed on the cheek once."

"Oh," said Asuka, "By who?"

"A girl from my village. Her house burned down when I was about thirteen. So it was my first real one. You, I mean."

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Good. Maybe we can do it again sometime."

She rolled over on her side, facing away from him. He closed his eyes again, and drifted off to sleep to the gentle sound of her breathing.

* * *

><p>Misato felt cold as she buttoned up the shirt of her dress uniform. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, grabbed her shoulder rig from the bed, and shrugged into it, the checked the safety on her service pistol and slipped it into the holster. Pulling on her jacket, she crept down the hall and gently knocked on the door to Asuka's room. Asuka opened it, dressed in a yellow sun dress, one side of her hair still down and unbound by her nerve conduction clip.<p>

"What?"

"Are you ready? We need to go see Unit Two."

"Whatever," Asuka muttered, pushing the door shut.

Misato caught it with her hand.

"Nothing happened," Asuka said, sharply.

Misato looked at her. Ice crystals may as well have formed in the air.

"Where's Shinji?"

"In his room, I guess," Asuka shrugged. She pushed the door shut as Misato let go.

Misato looked at the blank metal for a moment and stepped back, crossing her arms. Shinji's door opened and he emerged, his school backpack slung over his shoulder. He glanced at his watch, and stared at the floor, never quite meeting her gaze. She motioned for him to follow and stepped away from Asuka's room.

"What happened this morning?"

Shinji sighed, and there was a slight tremble in his shoulders. "Nothing, I… she just said 'get out.'"

Misato frowned. "That's it?"

"Yeah," he said, softly.

She folded her arms over her chest. "She's a complex person, Shinji. She just needs time to-"

"The kanji we use for the word 'she'," Kaji interrupted, appearing behind her, "means 'a woman far away.' To us men, women will always appear to be on the shore across. It means there is a river deeper and wider than the ocean that divides men and women."

"Very poetic," Misato growled, "Louse."

Shinji smiled softly to himself. "I can't swim," he said.

"I guess not," said Kaji. "If you two don't mind, I must take my leave. I'm taking the VTOL back to the mainland."

"The transfer-" Misato started.

"You'll handle it, Captain," Kaji grinned, "I trust you're as capable an administrator as I remember. If your skills have grown with your rear end, you should be fine."

Misato took a swing at him but he neatly ducked under it, waved mockingly, and darted off, heels clanging on the decking. Shinji scowled at him, but said nothing. Rei and Asuka emerged from their rooms, Rei glancing at everyone else in confusion.

"There was an event last night," said Rei.

"Let's move on," said Misato, forcing herself to smile. "We have work to do."

Panting, an officer in whites ducked into the hall, winded from a hard run. He doubled over for a moment, then stood up, his face a mask of blind panic.

"Captain," he panted, "We just got a call from the mainland. They've detected an angel in the water."

Asuka lit up. "Let's go. I have to get to Unit Two."

The officer blinked. "Pilot Nagisa has already started the activation sequence."

"_What?" _

Misato winced. She turned and followed behind Asuka, up the narrow stairs and down a hallway to an elevator that carried them to the bridge. Asuka may as well have melted the walls from her fury. Her hands were balled into fists and she was visibly grinding her teeth, and her bloodshot eyes narrowed. Rei stepped into the elevator last, and the doors closed. Misato pinched the bridge of her nose, and closed her eyes. She'd only just woken up, and already had a pounding headache. She needed to get to the bridge of the carrier, get in touch with headquarters, and formulate some kind of battle plan to relay to a pilot she hadn't had a full conversation with, yet.

When the doors opened, she realized something was amiss.

"Where's Shinji?"

"He said he had to get life jackets," said Rei.

Asuka rolled her eyes. Misato shook her head. "He'll find his way up here. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Shinji's cape flapped behind him like a flag as he ran across the deck, waving his arms. The sailors were preparing airplanes to fly, lining them up along the rear quarter deck of the ship. When he tapped one of them on the shoulder, the taller American turned around, stared at him for a second, and then his jaw dropped.<p>

"You can't fly these things against an angel," Shinji shouted, gesturing at the ocean. "It's suicide!"

"We have orders!" the sailor shouted back, waving him away. "I don't know what you're supposed to…"

He trailed off as Shinji put his arms to his sides and lifted off, the deck of the carrier pushing away and tilting beneath him. He went up and up until he could see the rings of ships surrounding the barge carrying the Evangelion. In the distance, he saw a great whitecap, a moving funnel of white water rocketing towards the fleet. Beneath him, he heard metallic scraping sounds and the grinding of servos, and the huge tarp on the transport barge shifted, sliding forward, almost liquid. A great red hand reached up and pulled it away, dumping it all at once into the ocean as Unit Two stood up and crouched. The huge ship seemed to tilt and pitch beneath it, like a rowboat under a standing man.

The Evangelion turned around and gazed out at the oncoming angel, and then in a fluid motion, sprang towards another ship. It crossed the gap with a wide-legged leap, came down with feet planted on either end of a destroyer, and then on the rebound as the ship sank and bobbed back up, jumped for the carrier. It landed with a crash, feet scraping across the deck, and took up an umbilical jack from the rear end.

Shinji dipped down and headed for the carrier. The Eva spotted him, catching him in its four-eyed gaze, and swatted at him. He dodged the back of the Eva's hand, blinking. The other arm shot out and grabbed him in an iron grip, and tossed him into the deck. The world spun crazily as he fell, and with a great thud he bounced off the flight deck, leaving a shallow dent in it. He rolled onto his feet, shaking his head, and looked up. The Eva ignored him, turning as it plugged the jack into its back, and crouched on the edge of the carrier. The entire ship leaned crazily. At the aft launch catapult, a jet snapped free and slid across the deck.

Quickly, Shinji jumped, passed between the Eva's legs, and put himself between the jet and the others waiting with their wings folded, and caught it with his hands against the fuselage. The carrier started to roll, groaning, but not before one of the planes with folded wings toppled off the side, the nose tipping up as it rolled from the edge. He let go of the one jet and ran to the other, diving over the side. The pilot stared at him in mute appeal as the rear of the jet hit the surface of the water and crumpled. Shinji dropped down onto the nose, grabbed the cockpit windshield, and wrenched it free as the plane started to sink. The pilot scrambled at his safety harness until Shinji took hold of the ejection seat and pulled it free of the plane. He crouched, pistoned his legs under himself, and landed on the deck with a bounce.

He ran through the cheering crew, lifted off, and flew up the size of the "island" to the bridge. As he tapped on the window, the sailors and officers stared at him in mute awe. Misato pointed to her side and ran until she could open the door and step out onto a metal walkway.

"Superman!" she shouted.

"What's the plan?"

"Don't worry about the angel, the Eva will handle it. The _Kirov _is going down, the angel rammed it!"

He nodded, turned, and saw the plume of water in the distance where the destroyer was beginning to slide under the surface. Again the Evangelion swiped at him as he lifted off, but he was quickly out of reach, sweeping over the fleet with outstretched arms. He saw the huge white form of the angel under the surface of the water, and clenched his teeth, moving past it.

Sailors ran to the rails and shouted at him in Russian, pointing to the great frothy bowl of water surging into the _Kirov's _side. He took a deep breath, reared up, and dove down into the water with a splash. The force of it nearly sucked him into the great rent in the ship's hull. Bubbles trickling from his mouth, he half-swam until he simply started to fly underwater, ducking under the surge. He found the keel with his hands, pressed his shoulders against it, and pushed. The ship groaned as he lifted, but she held, the metal quivering in his hands. He let go and let himself slide along the side to the tear in the metal.

Digging his fingers into either side, he pulled the metal together, closing his eyes and pressing his teeth together with effort. When it was close enough, the water boiled in his face as the heat of his vision turned it red hot then white hot, until it softened and the metal began to merge. He pressed it all together, shaping it into a rough patch with his hands while the water cooled it. He lifted up out of the ocean, past the cheers on the deck, and back out into the air.

He broke the surface just in time to see the angel surface. It broke out of the water with a thundering wail, its great cetacean body streaming back into the water like rain. It opened long jaws filled with sharp, triangular teeth, and though it seemed to lack eyes, it fixed on Unit Two. Its bulk slammed down on the deck of the carrier, and he realized that it was nearly as big as the ship itself. Its jaws clamped down around Unit Two's leg and tugged, and the Eva's feet went out from under it. There was a tremendous, rippling boom as the Evangelion fell onto its back and was dragged into the ocean in a spreading wave of metallic sparks. It grabbed feebly at the side of the ship, pulling loose a whole section of the flight deck before it went under.

The entire carrier turned, the sudden shock of the movement torturing the metal, unleashing a series of hollow booms and an eerie, almost living wail. The umbilicus rolled along the deck until it hit the torn section, where it caught, tugged, and began to fray. Thin layers of the outer sheathing uncoiled from it, one after another, until the shiny silver of the cable itself became visible. The carrier began to dip down again.

He dove down, punched his fists through the water, and continued spiraling downwards, sheathed in bubbles from the descent. The thundering of the carrier's propellers was above him, and below he saw the Eva and the angel, glowing eerily against the silhouetted shapes of flooded buildings, like broken down old trees. They couldn't be far from the coast, now. Following the cable, he headed for the Eva. As he reached it, there was a mighty thump, the water shoved him away, and he saw the cable whipping back upwards, suddenly relieved of the tension.

The angel turned, dragging the Eva under itself, the latter flailing helplessly at its eyeless head. It pulled, and twisted, and finally tore free. Thick red blood clouded the water, and in horror, Shinji realized that Unit Two had torn loose and left its own leg behind, still clamped in the Angel's mouth. The Eva reached up and pulled a knife from its shoulder pylon and plunged it into the angel's flesh. Shinji dodged a gigantic fin, the water tugging at him from its passing, and ducked around under it. The thing saw him, opened its jaws, and the water suddenly turned stone-hard, a massive shockwave pushing him backwards, tumbling head over heels through the deep. He caught himself, turned, and headed back for it.

As he did, the Eva grabbed its own severed leg, turned it, and wedged it deep in the angel's jaws. The Eva pulled back, turned the knife in its hand, and plunged it deep into the thing's mouth. Shinji glimpsed the red sphere inside just in time to see the knife sink in to the hilt. The sphere cracked, the angel screamed, and with a great jerk in the water, it went limp and began drifting ever downwards, the Eva sinking alongside it, unmoving.

Shinji passed behind it, found the umbilical jack, and thrust his arms into the holes for the locking prongs. He grunted, bubbling the water in front of his face, as he pushed upwards, dragging the Eva along with him. He pushed harder, and faster, and the word grew lighter until he dragged the Evangelion up out of the water. When his head broke the surface he shouted, forcing all the air from his lungs at once. The Eva started to shift in his grasp, no longer supported by the water, and he felt the back armor assembly coming apart under the strain of being lifted by the umbilical jack. With no other option, he pulled the Eva back over the side of the carrier, bring it gently to rest on its side on the flight deck.

He knelt on the black surface of the deck, panting. In the distance, he heard cheering, and footsteps racing towards him. There was a metallic thunk and the entry plug of Unit Two slid free, bobbing slightly as it came to rest in the loading position. The hatch fell open and a great gout of LCL poured out. Nagisa, in a dark blue plugsuit, lowered himself out of the hatch until he hung by his outstretched arms. Shinji jumped to his feet, but Nagisa let go and dropped the good thirty feet to the deck, landing in a smooth crouch. He stood up.

He regarded Shinji almost contemptuously. "I had the situation well in hand."

Shinji stopped. "If you say so."

Nagisa smiled enigmatically. "There will come a time when I am not so limited, and we will test one another. That time is not today."

Shinji blinked as Nagisa turned and strode off, slicking a hand through his hair before flicking a handful of LCL onto the deck. He heard shouting behind him, and turned to see Misato and the others running across the deck with a knot of naval officers. He waved at them, looked up, and took off before they got close enough to see him.

The fleet spread out beneath him again, until he was high up that he could no longer be seen. He waited a moment, then headed out to the side of the ship, took a quick look around, and landed where he'd left. His school bag was where he'd left it, wedged under a pipe with his clothes inside. He ducked out of sight to change, relived that he'd taken the time to convert the plugsuit Ritsuko gave him into a new costume; it was waterproof.

As he pulled on his pants, he felt something in his pocket. He unfolded a piece of paper, and the ink smeared from the seawater on his fingers.

"We should talk, sometime. –K"

He balled the paper up in his fist and tossed it, letting it flutter out onto the wind.

* * *

><p>Asuka stood up on the island, high, near the bridge. She liked the sea wind in her hair. It made her feel clean. She didn't feel much else, staring at the curled, slumped form of her Evangelion. Helicopters buzzed overhead, and the other carrier escorting the fleet had flights of jets blasting by overhead, for all the good that would do if another angel attacked them. She avoided looking at the ugly ruin of Unit Two's left leg, ending just below the knee in a twisted sheathing of bent metal and cracked ceramics over the white, bloodless stump of the Eva's inner flesh. It had already healed over, gradually forming into a shapeless mass. Seeing her Eva that way hurt, but there was something else.<p>

Misato appeared beside her.

"Kaji left," said Misato.

"Yeah," said Asuka. "He said."

"So," said Misato.

"So," said Asuka. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I know," said Misato, "but I have to."

Asuka looked at her, but Misato was looking out over the ocean, leaning on the rail.

"Asuka," said Misato. "It was cute when you were twelve and accused me of stealing him from you, but…"

"I know you're not with him," Asuka said, flatly. "I don't care. I don't care what he does, or who he does it with anymore."

She looked down at her feet as she stood up.

Misato sighed. "That's what's bothering you, isn't it?"

Asuka didn't answer. She folded her arms around herself and shrugged. She turned as she heard footsteps, and Shinji appeared, wearing a bright orange life vest, with a bundle of them in either hand. Asuka rolled her eyes, and Misato burst out laughing.

"Where did you get those?"

"They're on the walls," said Shinji.

"We'll be docking in a few hours," said Misato. "Then, we can get out of here. I, uh, I have to call headquarters."

She flounced off, half running, suddenly leaving her alone with Shinji. He dropped the life vests on the deck and peeled off the one he had around his neck, and stepped up to the rail beside her. She didn't meet his gaze, even as he watched her for a while.

"What?" she said.

"Um," he turned from her, blushing. "Well, I… I don't know. Are we…"

"What?"

"Ummm," said Shinji. He trailed off, and sighed.

She stood up, moved closer to him, and leaned on the rail beside him. Their arms touched, and the wind blew her hair over his shoulders.

"I don't say this very often," said Asuka, "but I'm sorry about this morning."

He swallowed. "It's okay. I knew you didn't mean it."

"Quit being such a doormat," she said, sharply.

"Sorry," he muttered.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Stop apologizing all the time. That's the first rule."

"First rule?" said Shinji.

She stood up. "These are the other rules. If you brag about this to your idiot friends, I'll kill you."

"I wouldn't-"

"No lies," she said, gripping the rail so hard her knuckles turned white. "No secrets. If I'm going to have you, I want all of you for myself. Do you understand?"

He looked at her for a while in silence. Something about the way he looked made her blush, and she turned away to hide it. He stood up, took her by the arms, and turned her to face him.

"No secrets. I promise."

He leaned in, and she closed her eyes. He touched her lightly, as though he was afraid she might break. It was to her to press harder against him, slipping her arms around his back. She pulled away from his lips and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing deeply. He smelled like seawater.

* * *

><p>Gendo craned forward over the desk as Ryoji Kaji entered his office, briefcase in hand. He said nothing as the spy rested the case on the polished ebon expanse of his desk and opened it, fumbling with the locks. He turned it around, displaying the cube of brushed metal within, resting in a foam cutout. Gendo reached in and picked it up, surprised by its weight. He rested it on his desk with a heavy thump, and folded his hands.<p>

"Well," said Kaji. "Here it is."

"Yes," said Gendo. "No one suspects you?"

"I'm sure its absence has been noted by now, but no, there would be no reason to suspect me. I left a few red herrings behind."

"That will be all."

Kaji closed the briefcase and picked it up, lingering for a moment in silence. Gendo watched him over his knuckles, concealing the softest smirk forming on his lips.

"You've never said what this is, exactly."

"Correct," said Gendo. "There will be nothing further."

Kaji shrugged, glanced over his shoulder as he left, and disappeared through the doors. Gendo leaned back in his chair, reaching under the desk to flip a switch. With a pneumatic thump, the doors to his office locked. A section of the desk popped up, the cleverly concealed seam in the surface opening to allow a monitor to unfold from within. The feeds began to download.

He replayed the file again, as he unlatched the safety clips on the box. Carefully, he drew the lid upwards, lifting it out of rubber o-ring that held it in place. A sickly green glow bathed the room, making his reflection in the surface of the desk pale and corpselike. He grasped the crystal, an irregular chunk about the size of a lime, and held it in his hand. The surface had a slightly greasy feeling to it, like graphit, though it left no residue on his fingers. The color was curious, almost like an emerald but not quite, with a light of its own burning within.

He reached out and touched the console with his other hand.

"_Do you understand?"_

"_No secrets. I promise." _

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<br>_

Last Child of Krypton: Redux_  
><em>

**S**

**_Chapter 9: A Fish Story_  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Misato opened the door to the apartment and slipped inside, sagging against the wall. Another twelve hour shift had taken its toll, and for once she did most of the work herself, having sent Shinji home. She was under an immense pressure. Tomorrow, the newly repaired Unit Two would undergo an activation test- a formality, since Kaworu had proven adept at piloting it already. Misato shivered at the thought of the silvery-haired boy, his eerily calm and confident way, so like Rei and yet so different, like the flip side of a coin. She slid her shoes off, wiped a thin bead of sweat from the walk up to the apartment away from her brow, and sighed. The activation test was short term, long term she had to prepare for the arrival of Unit Three and Unit Four- the latter would be tested in Nevada in two weeks, and then shipped over by air transport.<p>

The only light in the apartment was a pool of soft glow in the living room. Curious, Misato stopped at the end of the hallway as she heard soft giggling.

"Okay," Asuka said quietly, "A car… travel? Travelling at…" she paused, "constant velocity… passes a stationary motorcycle at traff… at a traffic light. As the car overtakes the motorcycle, the motorcycle…"

Misato peered around the corner. Asuka was seated on the end of the couch, leaning against the arm. Her bare legs were over Shinji's lip, her toes curling as she read from the textbook, brows furrowed in concentration. Shinji leaned against her, following her reading with his eyes, although his gaze occasionally slipped to Asuka, dressed in her short shorts and loose, flowing top, which was pulled down to expose one shoulder and a dangerous amount of her chest.

"The following displacement-time graph represents the motions of both vehicles from the traffic light onwards," said Asuka.

Shinji smiled warmly. "You did it. That was almost perfect."

"Almost," said Asuka, leaning on his shoulder. "Where's my reward?"

As Shinji leaned in to kiss her, Misato gasped, backed up to the door of the apartment, and grabbed her shoes. She deliberately hurled them down into the floor, yawned theatrically, and stomped into the living room in her bare feet. When she stepped into the light, Asuka was sitting cross-legged at one of the couch, her shirt demurely gathered up around her neck, and Shinji sat at the other, leaning back nonchalantly with one arm thrown over the back of the couch. Misato suppressed the urge to grin, as he still had traces of lip gloss around his chin and the collar of his shirt.

"What's up?" said Misato. "You're up a little late, aren't you?"

Asuka closed the book. "I wanted to study in my room, but all of a sudden you have all these rules."

Misato scratched her chin and made a point of staring at Shinji's collar, and then used her hand to cover her amusement as he stiffened and turned a deep red. "Gee," said Misato, "I wonder why."

Asuka muttered something under her breath and stood up, tucking her book under her arm. "I should get to bed, I guess. You too, washout. We have school in the morning."

"Not you," said Misato. "Activation test. You're on standby."

Misato waited. She expected some kind of tirade. Asuka had been sore, at first, about remaining assigned the pilot of Unit One, but she no longer seemed to care. If anything, she was almost disinterested, unable to keep herself from trailing her fingertips across Shinji's chest as she passed him, then up his shoulder before she left the room, leaving him alone with Misato.

Misato burst out laughing. Shinji scowled.

"It was her idea," he said, grumpily.

"I know," Misato sighed. "You don't have to apologize, Shinji. It's okay."

He still looked a bit nervous, and slumped forward, rubbing his hands together. "So there's a test, tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Misato, sitting down on the couch. She rolled back until she was staring at the ceiling. "The official activation test for Unit Two, with Kaworu as pilot. He's been assigned to it by the Commander."

"I haven't seen him at school," said Shinji.

"You're not going to," said Misato. "His guardians have arranged for him to have private tutors."

"Good," Shinji said at once.

Misato sat up, or at least raised her head from the back of the couch. "That's not like you."

"What?" said Shinji.

"I mean, you're the most accepting person in the universe," said Misato.

Shinji didn't look at her, but shrugged. "There's something odd about him."

Misato bit her lip. He could see it, too. Everyone could. She couldn't unload her worries on the boy, though. He had enough to worry about, just getting by. It wouldn't be fair to lay more of the weight of the world on his shoulders. Instead, she ruffled his hair as she stood up.

"Don't be up to late," she yawned. "I can't stay up anymore, I'm going straight to bed."

"I'll get enough sleep," said Shinji, standing.

* * *

><p>Asuka felt a prickling unease as she shrugged into her plugsuit and tightened it with a hiss of escaping air. She took a deep breath of the chilly air in the locker room, straightened herself, pointlessly tugging at the sleeves of her suit, and walked out, padding across the metal flooring in the thin slippered soles of the suit. Unit One loomed high overhead, hunched. It struck her suddenly how odd it was, the way she had become so casual around it. When she had first arrived, its appearance was strange and brutish to her, but now it was almost familiar. Unit Zero was in its own cage, powdered down and leaning forward. Rei would be brought in only if there was an emergency.<p>

Unit Two itself had been moved into the testing cage, an immense room lined with layers of steel, composite, and concrete, near the combat simulation system. Most of the activity was concentrated there, and in the control booth above, there were only a few second stringers milling around. Asuka sighed, heading up the gantry to the entry plug. It was all routine, all too comfortable. Her stomach clenched as she sat on the edge of the hatch and swung her legs inside. Once she was in her seat, she leaned back and pushed the air out of her lungs as the LCL flooded in.

She took a deep breath of it, coughing a little.

She said nothing as the synchronization process began. Colors whirled in her vision, and the familiar feeling of an extra spine snaking up her back came and went, followed by the ghosting of phantom limbs as she consciously recognized the Evangelion's limbs, under her control yet separate from her own. As an exercise, she kept her hands neatly folded in her lap and flexed the Eva's fingers, closing her eyes in concentration.

A tiny voice whispered, _stop them._

Asuka jerked, and the Eva moved with her, its great chest pumping, the restraints bolted into her shoulders groaning as she rocked on her heels. She looked around in a panic, swinging the Eva's head without realizing it.

"What?" said Maya Ibuki, "Asuka, what is it?"

Asuka swallowed, tasted the LCL on her tongue, and wanted to retch. "I don't know. I just-"

Alarms blared in her ears, and the lights in the cage began to flash, alternating red and white. Asuka sat up, reached for the controls. There was nothing wrong with her synchronization. Everything was normal.

"Asuka," said Maya, "Stop moving the Eva, you'll damage the restraints…" she trailed off.

"What is it?"

Maya swallowed, her throat clicking against the microphone she wore. "There's a problem with the synchronization test. Unit Two has gone berserk."

"Let me go," Asuka said quietly.

The restraining bolts slammed free, and Unit One hunched forward. Asuka clenched her teeth as she forced it to regain its balance, still up to its hips in chilled LCL. As the fluid drained, she surged forward, ducking to clear the retracting bridge. Her lips pursed in concentration as she moved, carefully balancing the Eva to ensure she didn't slip in the rapidly draining layer of liquid. She passed Unit Zero and stood at the end of the cages, at the gate to the simulator. When the LCL drained, the doors parted, yellow caution lights flashing on either side, their movement grindingly slow. Asuka resisted the urge to shove her fingers in the gap and force it open.

"Maya," said Asuka, "Where's Rei?"

"They're picking her up from school now," said Maya. "She's on the way. You're going to have to in there and restrain it."

It. Unit Two. Her Unit Two.

Asuka positioned herself at the door to the testing cage, pitched forward on one foot, hands out, head drawn down. The doors parted, moving much faster than the last set, and she saw her Eva. She gasped in horror, sucking in a deep breath of the heavy liquid, feeling as if she was about to launch into a coughing fit. Unit Two was going berserk, trying to tear its way out of the cage. Its fingers, stripped of their armor, the pale flesh underneath bleeding heavily, were digging long, painful gouges in the walls.

Asuka stepped into the cage.

"Asuka!" Misato shouted in her ear. "You need to restrain it."

"Did you blow the umbilical?"

Before Misato could answer, Asuka saw for herself. Unit Two turned, put its hands against the wall, smearing it with blood, and pounded its helmeted head straight into the control booth. She heard Misato scream, and saw pieces of glass raining down from the wall. Unit One surged forward, and Asuka raised her arms up under Unit Two's shoulders, dragging it back from the wall. The Eva bucked and jerked against her, dragging Unit One across the huge chamber. Asuka linked her arms about the other Eva's chest.

Unit Two roared. The sound was muffled, the inhuman scream vibrating against the inside of the Eva's armored helmet. It threw its hands back and Asuka instinctively jerked Unit One's head back. Her feet slid, throwing up huge slivers of broken composite plating from the floor, and Unit Two spun her around, until her back was to the control booth, and then stomped backwards, almost lifting her from the floor.

"What the hell is going on!" Asuka shouted.

For a time, there was silence, and it seemed to go on forever, leaving her alone with the roaring, flailing beast in her arms. Unit Two began to tug at her wrists, and when that failed, sought not her but its own armor, pulling wildly at the shoulder pylons. Finally, Misato returned to Asuka's vision, a thin cut trickling blood down over one eye.

"Keep it from getting out of the cage," said Misato. "If you let go, it's going to tear itself apart."

"Asuka, listen to me," said Akagi, "Don't let the Eva damage the shoulder pylons, no matter what you do. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Asuka growled, "Why isn't it shutting down?"

"I don't know!"

Asuka seized Unit Two by the wrists, feeling the strain in her own Eva's arms as she forced the bloodied hands of the other Eva away from its shoulder pylons. Unit Two reared up, pulling her forward, and then slammed her back into the wall. The breath went out of her chest in a great push, bubbling in front of her face, and she nearly lost her grip. She put one heel against the wall and pushed forward, shoving Unit Two out into the center of the cage.

"Where the hell is Rei?" said Asuka.

"She's on her way to her… _shit," _said Misato.

"What now?" Asuka demanded, pushing Unit Two forward another step.

"There's a blue pattern on approach."

"What?"

"We're going to deploy her to the surface. We have no choice. We're going to have to do a bakelite injection and seal both of you until Unit Two shuts down."

"You can't!" Asuka almost screamed.

Unit Two seized on the opportunity. It had her by the wrists now, turned, and Asuka grunted from a phantom pain in her shoulder as the other Eva spun her around and slammed her into the wall. Unit Two took a bounding step forward and threw an underhanded punch into Unit One's belly plating. The armor cracked, and Asuka moaned in pain from the sudden surge of agony that rain up her spine. Unit Two grabbed her by the shoulders, wrenched her around, and slammed her head first into the wall.

"Asuka," said Misato, calmly. "You can't hold back. Cripple it if you have to."

"I can't," Asuka moaned, "I can't!"

Panic seized her. They wanted her to hurt Unit Two hurt _her _Eva. She couldn't let that happen. The idea of it filled her with raw, seething terror, a cold void in her insides that crept up and clenched a fist of frost around her heart. Her eyes started to sting.

"I can't," she croaked.

"Thirty seconds to bakelite injection." Said Ritsuko."

"Asuka," said Misato, "Take it down. I need you on the field, Rei is getting trounced."

_Don't listen to them._

Asuka froze. "What?"

"You heard me," said Misato. "Do it. Asuka, please."

_Activate your external speakers._

"Asuka," said Ritsuko, "Your synch ratio just jumped by twelve points. What did you do?"

Asuka flipped the switch on the control yoke.

_Speak._

Asuka whirled, avoiding a heavy punch that cracked the wall and smeared it with livid red blood. Unit Two crouched like an animal, looking up at her, and Asuka put her hands out to her sides, ready to receive the attack. Her vision fuzzed, and something tickled her cheek.

"Stop," she whispered, "please stop," and the speakers made her plea a thunderous rasp.

Unit Two jerked, its massive body twitching wildly, stood up, and took two steps to the side. The light in its eyes extinguished, and the entire bulk of the Eva hit the wall, hard but limp, and slid down until it was seated there against the side of the cage. Asuka's heart hammered and her breath came in ragged gasps.

"What the hell?" she said.

"Asuka!" Misato shouted. "Get out! Get out now, before the Bakelite hits you!"

She blinked, shook her head, and ran, almost slipping as she moved. She passed through the doors just in time She didn't turn the Eva's head but whirled her own to glance over her shoulder, and the system superimposed the rear view from her optics package in her vision. Unit Two still slumped against the wall, thick streamers of molten plastic raining down over it as the doors slammed closed in front of it. She came to rest in the simulator.

"What now?"

"Get to launch tube seven," said Misato. "I need to get up to the bridge. When I come back on, I'll give you a sitrep."

"Is that all you've got?" said Asuka, lurching out of the simulator towards the launch tubes.

"It's bad," said Misato, and vanished.

* * *

><p>Rei was beginning to realize she had a problem.<p>

She had approached the angel without instruction, meaning to intercede before it entered the city. It was a low, squat thing, as big as an Eva but not quite as tall. It had no head to speak of, only broad, rounded, vaguely ape like shoulders and long arms that nearly trailed the ground. Its core was curious, bisected in a curved line, barely visible. Something about that tickled her mind as soon as she saw it. She followed standard procedure, ducked behind an armored plate for cover, and opened fire with her pallet rifle.

The angel folded around itself, shielding its core with its massive shoulders, and charged. It surged up from the waterline, knocking aside the leaning remnant of a pre-Impact structure, sparkling streamers of water hanging from its legs. As it hit dry land it picked up speed. Rei's rifle emptied and she dropped the magazine, slapped in a fresh one, and kept up fire. Craters of gray flesh opened on the creature's heavy, fleshy body, but it neither stopped nor slowed, but gained yet more momentum. Before she could reload again, it shouldered the armor plate aside and crashed into her.

The air went out of her lungs in reflex as Unit Zero rolled onto the ground, the weight of the angel cracking down onto her chest. Rei struggled for a moment with sympathetic pain before she remembered the crushing weight she felt on her beastbone was only a signal from the Eva, and tried desperately to turn the creature's weight aside, to roll out from under it, but it was too heavy. It began to claw at Unit Zero's armored face, and streaks of red pain lanced down her cheek.

A tiny projectile hurled itself into the side of the angel. The impact shook the air itself, blurring everything for the barest instant. The angel rocked backwards, and she saw the tiny object speeding around it, as biting insects harry beasts of the field. Another impact knocked it off of her, and she let out a bubbling breaths he didn't realize she'd been holding. The angel stumbled and fell, one huge hand carving furrows in the earth with its claws.

Superman landed right on Unit Zero's faceplate, tapping with his fist.

"Ayanami! Can you hear me?"

Before she could stop herself, he stumbled as she nodded, then lifted himself a few feet in the air.

"Can you get up? I don't know how long-"

The angel ignored her and hit him instead, batting him aside with a sharp backhand, a full body motion that described a speedy arc through the air. She lost track of him until she saw the impact in a ruined skyscraper, where the upper floors collapsed as the old building's bones broke from the impact. Quickly, she kicked the Eva's feet out and rolled onto her back, fumbling for her rifle, thought better of it, and was on her feet.

Unit One came charging between the buildings, long-handled progressive spear in hand. The new weapon was longer than the Eva was tall for reach in close combat and the blade almost as long as an Eva's arm. Rei had to duck a wild, chopping swing that bit into the angel's armored torso with a shower of sparks and sent it reeling backwards.

"Get back!" Soryu shouted over the comm, shouldering Unit Zero aside.

"You must be careful not to tangle-"

Soryu ingnored her, screaming in fury, spinning the spear wildly over her head for another ill-timed stroke. The blade slid along the angel's back and hit nothing but empty air. The creature pressed its advance on her, seized the forearm of the hand that held the spear, and headbutted Unit Zero. In the tiny display hovering before Rei, Soryu grunted, her head rocked back, and a tiny trickle of blood formed on her upper lip.

The angel closed with her, took Unit One by the waist, and threw it. The Eva lifted from the ground, umbilical whipping out behind it, and looped under Rei's cable as it was, it drug Unit Zero along before she could blow the connection. Both Evas crashed into each other and into a weapons station. Rei rolled away, ignoring Soryu's fusillade of insults and barked orders, dropped her umblical to free herself, and signaled for the weapons station to open. As Soryu charged back towards the angel, Rei lifted the prototype sniper rifle from the rack and checked the charge on its internal battery.

"Rei," said Captain Katsuragi, appearing in her view, "I need you to get another cable."

"There is no time," said Rei, propping her rifle over the tower.

"That was an order!" said Katsuragi, but Rei ignored her, synching the scope to her onboard targeting system. The reticle danced and turned red every time Soryu maneuvered Unit One between her and the angel.

"Soryu," Rei said calmly, "You must clear my field of fire."

"I'm busy," Soryu snapped as she danced about, half-stumbling on her unsure footing, taking wild strokes with her spear.

"But-"

"Enough!" Soryu shouted, raised the spear high in a two-handed overhand grip, and brought it down with the full force of the Evangelion's weight behind it. The blade struck true and sank down to the angel's core, which split neatly in two. Soryu left it there and stepped back, panting, before maneuvering the Eva around the unmoving form of the angel.

"See," she announced, planting the firsts of the Evan on its hips, "Nothing to worry about."

The angel's body continued to split, and the spear fell free. Both sides flopped to the ground with a great crash, throwing clouds of dust. Inside the puff of debris, the two halves moved, shifting. Rei's eyes widened.

"Soryu," she said, "look out."

Confused, Soryu wheeled, the Eva turning with her. Unit Zero automatically focused on Superman buzzing in from her side. He put both hands on Unit One's shoulder and shoved, pushing the entire bulk of the Eva aside.

"Hey!" Soryu shouted, "What the hell are you-"

The open-handed stroke from the angel that was meant for her hit him instead, battering him down to the ground.

"Superman!" Rei shouted, moving forward, rifle slung over her shoulder. She had forgotten her timer, and it beeped as it crossed the two minute mark. Moving quickly would only accelerate the drain.

The angel moved behind Unit One, threw it arms around the Eva's neck, and held it as a second angel, an identical copy of the first, stood up, grabbed Unit One's umbilical, and yanked it free. The cord snapped with a great ripping sound. Soryu was shouting in alarm.

Superman rose straight up out of the ground, caught one of the angels, and pushed it up into the air, its body curling around him, a tiny speck lifting the great bulk, and then he brought it down. It came down with a tremendous crash, shoving both the Eva and its other self aside. Rei frantically tried to line up a shot on the standing angel, but either Unit One or Superman were always between her and her target. In frustration, she snapped off a quick shot into the angel's leg, to no apparent effect. She realized she was gritting her teeth, and in an absurd moment of clarity, was stunned by her own anger.

"Rei," Katsuragi said, "Get on your speakers and tell Superman to bug out. The defense force launched an N2 mine!"

Rei blinked.

Before she had the chance, Superman bobbed out from under the angel's grasp. It ignored Unit One, chasing him instead, and Soryu was free. She ran across the open ground to Rei, and the breath surged out of her chest again when the two Eva's crashed together. Soryu tumbled on top of her as she cut power to everything but her AT Field, which shimmered to life over them both as the missile streaked in. The world went white, and Rei pressed her eyes tightly shut.

She opened her eyes in darkness, the LCL going cold, the strange sensations of synchronization fled from her. She let her head hit the back of the seat. There was nothing else she could do, now, but hope the mine had worked, or at least slowed the enemy enough that she might be rescued. If not, she could always be replaced.

Soryu, though, could not. Without quite knowing why, she hoped that would not happen.

She gasped as the plug started to move, jerkily at first and then more smoothly, and she realized what was happening as the metal around the hatch folded in on itself with a metallic squeal. The LCl drained as the hatch opened and with a metallic clang tore free and dropped off into space. Superman came to rest on the edge of the hatch. Soryu was clinging to his back, both arms around his neck and her legs about his waist.

As she saw their faces pressed cheek to cheek, something flickered in her mind. Tiny white lines appeared everywhere, encircling the pair. Rei blinked, but the sensation only grew more powerful, invisible lines of consequence and connection becoming stronger and stronger. Her fingers trembled, and she said nothing. Superman rested Soryu on the edge of the hatch, asked her if she was hurt, and waded over to Rei, hip-deep in LCL.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "I have only superficial injuries."

"The bomb did something to it. It's sitting there with its field up. I have to get you both out of here."

Rei nodded, and stood up. Blushing furiously, he pressed both girls to his sides, arms around their waists, as they layered their arms about his neck. Rei's stomach lurched, not unpleasantly, as he lifted up out of the entry plug, moved by some invisible force. Soryu's grip tightened and her face went pale, her eyes focused on the ground below. She put her head on his shoulder, a curiously familiar gesture for one she held in such contempt.

He landed with them both as the emergency crews approached, orange lights swinging in circles about their roofs. Both pilots released him. He scratched the back of his head, gave Soryu a long, strange look, and took off, feet dangling beneath him as he rose up into the sky.

"Showoff," she muttered.

Rei looked at her, and then up, into the sky.

* * *

><p>Asuka buttoned the side of her dress. Rei was walking around in the locker room with her characteristic disregard for nudity, scrubbing her head vigorously with a towel until she ruined her haircut and puffed herself up into a ball, like a dandelion. Asuka sighed, reached into her locker, and handed a brush to the other girl. She stared at it for a moment before taking the hint and sitting down on her towel to brush her hair.<p>

"We must be debrief," said Rei.

"I know," Asuka muttered. "I want some air. I'll be outside."

She stalked out of the locker room, hands curled into fists at her sides. The cages were empty- the Evas hadn't been moved back into position for repairs yet, that would take hours, maybe until the next day. She stood at the edge of the walkway watching the empty space where Unit Two had stood not long before, letting the cool air currents of the enormous hangars wash over her. High above, wisps of steam fuzzed the floodlights. The chambers were so big they had their own weather.

"So, there you are."

She jumped, and whirled. It was Kaworu, smiling softly, his crimson eyes staring through her to something on the other side. She felt small.

"What do you want?"

"To understand you," said Kaworu, moving closer to her.

She took a step back, keeping the distance the same.

"Yeah," she said, "well, I don't want to understand you. Get lost."

He ignored her. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

His smiled broadened, showing a hint of teeth. "Silence the one who lives within."

"I… I don't know what you mean," said Asuka, backing up. Her back hit the concrete wall.

Kaworu closed on her. "Oh, but you do. You like to yourself, evade the truth in a dozen twisting ways, but I see what lies underneath."

"Go away," she said, dumbly, covering herself with her arms.

"You know who she is."

Asuka gasped. Her vision blurred, and her eyes burned. She sucked in a breath and feared what might come with it, if she let it go. She was shaking, her teeth chattering, and Kaworu traced a finger down her chin. She wanted to bat his hand away, to strike him, to cry out.

"Such pain," said Kaworu, "So many lies, so many untruths. I see the sacred light of your-"

"Get away from me," Asuka managed, sliding away from him.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," said Kaworu. "I-"

Shinji appeared, from nowhere. Asuka couldn't say where he was before he walked right up to Kaworu, put his arm under the silver-haired boy's pointed chin, and pinned him to the wall. Kaworu looked at him, head tilted, eyes narrowed.

"She said, leave her alone," said Shinji.

Kaworu moved with lightning speed. His hands whipped up to Shinji's chest and shoved him, and Shinji stumbled backwards, a look of pure, uncomprehending shock on his face. He practically skidded on his feet into the far wall, hitting it so hard it set Asuka's teeth on edge. Kaworu followed him across the narrow walkway and grabbed a handful of his collar. Shinji set his jaw, snatched Kaworu's hand away from his neck, and for a moment the two stood there, hands locked, pushing each other, their legs pistoning. Shinji looked nervous, confused, and he was _struggling._

A thought bubbled through her mind.

She'd never seen him struggle with anything before.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Asuka whirled. The head of security, Yoshida or whatever his name was, was walking down the bridge. When he stepped from metal onto concrete, Kaworu let Shinji go and stepped back, a cat's smile on his face. Yoshida grabbed Shinji's collar and hauled him up against the wall.

"Look here, _boy._ If I ever find you putting your hands on one of the pilots again-"

"Excuse me," Rei said quietly, stepping out of the locker room.

Yoshida froze. Rei stared him down. "Pilot Nagisa is in the female pilot's dressing area without permission, and was harassing Pilot Soryu. You will remove him."

"But-"

Rei ignored him. "Ikari was only defending Pilot Soryu," said Rei, tilting her head to the side. "They are in a relationship. This is normal behavior."

Yoshida's eyes widened.

Rei continued. "If I learn that you have threatened Ikari again, I will speak to the Commander," said Rei.

Yoshida backed off, and looked at Kaworu. "Let's go, Nagisa. You too, Ikari-"

"He can stay here if he wants," said Asuka, "We're both dressed, anyway. Get out."

Yoshida did not lead Kaworu away, the boy sauntered off on his own, hands thrust in his pockets. When they were both gone, Asuka slumped against the wall.

"Are you okay?" said Shinji.

"I'm fine. Did he hurt you?"

Shinji blinked. "I… I don't know. I don't think so." He looked at Rei. "Thank you."

Asuka watched her counterpart for a tense moment. She never spoke to Shinji, ever; she was under some kind of weird orders from the Commander to avoid all contact with him. Her red eyes seemed unfathomable for a moment, like they were expanding and taking them both in. Asuka could almost feel the wheels turning in her head.

"You are welcome," said Rei, and then she walked away.

* * *

><p>Misato had a headache. She sat rubbing at her temples, staring at the satellite photo of the crater. Seawater had rushed in, steaming around the base of the now fused angel, a mass of hard, chitinous flesh formed into a shell made out of many thin streamers or tendrils, the core hidden somewhere deep inside. It was recovering, albeit slowly, rebuilding itself until a shimmering energy field that distorted the image and made it impervious to everything they'd thrown at it. On the plus side, it ignored the Evas and the recovery team.<p>

Ritsuko leaned back in her chair, seated across the break room table from Misato, staring at the ceiling. Misato did a double take every time she looked at her- she'd stopped dying her hair, cropped it short, and had taken to wearing loose, flowing dresses under her labcoat, sometimes even pants, rather than her typical short skirt and fishnets. It was odd, to say the least.

"We're screwed," said Misato.

"We have to come up with something," said Ritsuko. "Looking over these numbers, I'd say we have seven days. I'd go six, just to be on the safe side. We'll have a better idea of when it'll reactivate as it gets closer to full strength."

Misato leaned forward into her hands. "I never figured on fighting two at once," she groaned, staring at the picture. "What if it can split again? There's no way it can take three of them."

Ritsuko sat up. She had her glasses on; usually she only kept them on while she was reading or working. "You know, they're evolving."

"They are?" said Misato.

"Of course," said Ritsuko. "The first one was a general purpose type-humanoid, had ranged attacks and could fight up close. That didn't work, so the next one tried pure melee."

"I see what you mean," said Misato, sitting up. "The next one executed a pure ranged attack. The aquatic one must have been a fluke- that's where the target was, so that's' where it attacked."

"Right," said Ritsuko. "Now, they're trying a divide and conquer strategy."

"We're ahead of them, though," said Misato, "We have more pilots. We need to keep ahead of them."

"We're not figuring on the x-factor."

"What's that?"

Ritsuko sighed. "Superman. I reviewed the footage of the fight. Before the missile hit, the angel stopped targeting the Evas. It didn't see them as a threat anymore. It started going after him instead."

Misato spread her hands flat on the table, and stared at her fingers. "That's bad, isn't it?"

"He can pick up an Eva. _Pick it up, _Misato. That's an incredible amount of force. We don't even know how. If they can adapt to him, we're in trouble."

Misato nodded. "Let's not worry about that now. How are we going to deal with this one?"

Ritsuko slid the pictures out from under her hands and flipped back to a view of the creature before the missile struck, before Asuka made it split. She tapped her fingernail on the image of the core. "It split itself as a defense mechanism. We need to crack it, not split it."

Misato scratched her chin. "What if one side is destroyed, but the other isn't? Will it regenerate?"

RItsuko shrugged. "Who knows? Even if it can't, it might be able to split again."

Misato stood up. "We need to formulate a coordinated attack, totally destroy all parts of the creature simultaneously."

"I'm grounding Unit Two," said Ritsuko. "I'm going to be pulling a lot of all-nighters figuring this out."

"So that leave us Unit One and Unit Zero," said Misato. "Asuka and Rei. Great."

"You need to have them work together," said Fuyutsuki.

Misato whirled. The subcommander stood in the door, a flat, enigmatic look on his face. "Doctor Akagi," he said, "would you excuse us?"

Ritsuko stood up, leaving her alone with Fuyutsuki in the break room. He closed the door, sat down, and gestured for her to join him opposite. She pulled out a chair and sat down, trying to keep her expression neutral.

"I believe if Commander Ikari were here, he might demote you, sanction you, or remove you from your position entirely."

"Are you going to do that?" said Misato.

"I don't have the authority. Instead, I'm going to ensure that by the time he returns from his trip, you will have defeated the enemy and demonstrated the competence and creative thinking that earned you this position in the first place."

Misato stared blankly at him as he stood up. He said nothing further, but turned to leave, stopping at the door. "I expect a report on your plan by this afternoon. You needn't deliver it in person. You'll be busy training your pilots, I'm sure. And Captain-"

"Yes?"

He smiled, a thin, cryptic smile. "All options are on the table for this operation. Am I understood?"

She wasn't sure what he meant, but she nodded anyway.

* * *

><p>Rei stood outside Captain Katsuragi's apartment door, fingers curled into a fist, hovering just above the surface. She knocked softly, twice, and waited. She heard a thump, and what sounded like shouting. She struck the door more sharply this time, and heard the sound of bare feet walking towards the door. It slid open, and a smiling Captain Katsuragi greeted her.<p>

"Wow," she said, "You made great time."

Rei studied her. "I do not understand your clothes."

The captain was dressed in a one piece garment that tightly hugged her body, under something similar to a once piece swimsuit. A towel, damp with sweat, was hanging around her neck and her hair was plaited to her neck from exertion. She was panting.

"Heh," she said, and tossed Rei a bundle of fabric. "You will in a minute."

Rei held the garment in her hands and let it unfurl. It was a match for the one Katsuragi wore, although smaller. It in fact seemed too small. Rei turned it slightly, studying it.

"It'll fit," said Katsuragi. "You can squeeze into a plugsuit, you can squeeze into that."

"I do not squeeze into a plugsuit. The fibers are-"

"Just get in here," said Katsuragi, rolling her eyes. She took Rei by the shoulder. "Come on, come on."

Rei obeyed her urgings and entered the apartment, stopping first to remove her shoes. She heard another thump, and Pilot Soryu snapping at someone. "Idiot, you're putting it in the wrong jack!"

"I am not!" said Shinji,

Rei rounded the corner to find Soryu, dressed in an identical outfit, crawling behind Katsuragi's television with Shinji at her side, attempting to manipulate a series of tangled cables. Soryu snatched at one in his hand, and he withdrew it, viper quick, lifting the dust-covered instruction manual.

"See," he said, "it goes in the red jack."

"Fine," she muttered, "Just get this over with."

Once the cords were plugged in, Shinji feigned struggle to move the television back into place, and began turning the device on. Katsuragi watched in fascination, and smiled as the screen went white and a video game company logo appeared. Soryu picked up a pair of rolled pads, wires trailing to the device attached to the television.

"What's this?"

Katsuragi grinned. "You stand on those, and you dance."

"What?"

"You dance. You and Rei will-"

"I," said Soryu, firmly. "do _not_ dance."

"I have no experience with this activity," said Rei.

"You will now," said Katusragi. "Go get changed."

Rei shrugged, and walked past the kitchen, towards the apartment's bathroom, which was far more spacious than her own. On the way, the penguin paused and looked up at her.

"Penguin," said Rei.

"Wark," said the penguin.

She closed the door, neglecting to lock it out of habit, and quickly shimmied out of her school uniform. As Katsuragi said, it was an effort to get into the strange garment. It took her a moment to realize she had to stretch parts of it in order to get her limbs into it. Once she was dressed, she headed back out into the living room to discover Katusragi and Soryu jumping about wildly on their respective mats. She observed them for a moment, and then turned to the kitchen, where Shinji was busying himself cleaning dishes.

She stood next to him. "Why are you doing that now?"

He flushed, and swallowed, and Rei did something very un-Rei like. She made a soft, amused sound. She was laughing.

"You are embarrassed," she observed.

He stared at her openly. "You laughed."

She shrugged, a barely noticeable movement of her shoulders. "It is funny."

"I thought you weren't allowed to talk to me," he said, lowering his voice.

"I am forbidden from speaking to Shinji Ikari."

"Rei!" Katsuragi called from the living room, "Come on! Let's get started!"

She left him in the kitchen, as water dripped from his hands, hanging at his side while he stared at her, open-mouthed.

* * *

><p>Kaji straightened his tie, which is to say he un-straightened it, carefully adjusting it into a sort of professional disarray, artfully arranged about his open collar. He pulled a damp, crumpled cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth, never meaning to smoke it, threw his suit jacket over his shoulder, and stopped at the door to Katsuragi's apartment complex. Rather than buzz her to unlock the door, he pulled a small device from his pocket, a block of plain gray plastic from which protruded a magnetic edge, like a credit card. He slid the card down through the reader, and the light blinked red, denying him entry. A second swipe opened it for him, and he jogged up the stairs.<p>

He adjusted his tie again when he stood in front of her door, and raised his fist to knock. The boy opened it before his fist touched it.

"What are you doing here?" the boy said, quietly.

"Oh," said Kaji, "I just wanted to stop by."

"Who is it?" Katsuragi called from within the apartment, and in spite of himself, Kaji's heart nearly skipped.

The boy eyed him.

"It's me," he called.

There was a moment of silence. "Go away."

"I just wanted to see how the training was going," Kaji called back, pushing forward.

Shinji picked him up under his arms and set him down again out in the hallway, then stood in the entrance, arms folded over his chest.

Kaji pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. "Katsuragi, I just want to talk. I thought maybe I could buy everyone dinner."

She appeared, dressed in a leotard. He was amazed it still fit- the intel the UN had on her mentioned that she'd stopped drinking, and he believed it. She was as lithe as she was when they were in school together, maybe moreso, not a hint of age in her face. Her bearing had changed, too. Her confidence always seemed forced when they walked to class together, now it was real, and by the time she got to the door, he was full on staring at the sway of her hips. He really, really wished she would drop the towel she had around her neck, draped over her chest.

Shinji stepped aside, warily eyeing them both. Kaji didn't have to put in an effort to ignore him. Only years of practice let him suppress the lump in his throat.

"Look, I… I was hoping for a chance to smooth things over."

She watched him warily, and then nodded once, almost imperceptibly. "Right," she said, "dinner. We're about ready for a break, anyway. You're buying?"

"Wait here. I'll see what the girls want."

She went back into the apartment, and Kaji carefully watched every step, at least until Shinji put himself back where he'd stood before.

"You want to be a door when you grow up?"

The boy scowled at him. Katsuragi came back and he slid out of her way deftly, taking the menus she'd marked.

"You're coming with me," said Kaji, as Katsuragi left.

"I guess so," said Shinji, closing the door behind him.

Both of them were silent as they jogged down the stairs. The kid remained a few steps behind until they reached Kaji's lotus. He looked at the rental hatchback Misato was driving and smirked, wondering when she'd spring for a real car again. After he slipped into the driver's seat, he reached over and opened Shinji's door. The kid sat down next to him, hands folded in his lap.

"So," said Kaji.

The kid looked around, peering over his glasses, and took a good look at Kaji himself.

"You've got a gun," said Shinji. "But no tape recorder or anything."

"I'm not wearing a wire," Kaji said, sarcastically. "It doesn't matter. Your father knows exactly who you are, Shinji."

"So I'm told."

"You don't like me, do you?"

"No."

Kaji sighed. "This may be hard to believe, but we have the same interests at heart."

"You're right," said Shinji. "It is hard to believe."

"Look, I didn't want things with Asuka to go that way, but I didn't have a choice. I tried letting her down gently before, and she caught me off guard."

He seemed to soften, a little bit. At any rate, he leaned on the windowsill, resting his face on his palm.

"So," said Kaji.

"So."

"You can fly, obviously, and you're strong. I gather you can see through objects."

"Yes," he said.

"Well? What else?"

"I can hear your heart beating in your chest," he said, sitting up. He turned to face Kaji. "I can see the neurons firing in your brain. I can feel your blood pressure and I can see the patterns of conductivity and heat bloom on your skin. I know if you're lying."

"Do you now," said Kaji.

He went on. "I can see the whole electromagnetic spectrum, maybe part of it you don't even know exist, I'm not sure. I can see the solar wind skipping off the atmosphere and the whole world is painted a billion colors I can't describe to you. I can tell if something is alive just by looking at it. I quit eating meat because I can't look at it without seeing the bacteria swimming in it."

He looked out the window. "And I can't tell anyone about it."

"So no one else knows," said Kaji.

"Someone does. I don't think I should tell you, but it isn't anybody I live with. Someone else figured it out."

"It's not hard," said Kaji. "You're reckless. You show off."

"I don't-"

"You do," said Kaji, "if you forget yourself, like, say, if you're upset about something, maybe something happening to Asuka, or that teenage brain of yours gets it in your head that you need to impress her. Anyone who watched you long enough, carefully enough, would pick up on it."

He sank back in his seat sullenly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I have to admit, the glasses are a nice touch. Smarter than a mask, most people don't think to look for your identity if you're not hiding it."

"That's not why I don't wear a mask," said Shinji.

"You're thinking about telling Asuka."

He looked at Kaji, incredulous. Kaji smirked.

"How did you-"

"I'm a spy. I figured it out. By spying."

"I promised not to lie to her," said Shinji.

"Then don't. Quit."

He sat up in the seat, balling his fists together. "I am not going to leave her."

"That's not what I meant," said Kaji. "I mean, don't put the costume on again. It's childish, Shinji, and it's stupid, and it's going to get someone killed."

"What?"

Kaji pulled into a parking lot, threw the car in neutral, and pulled on the e-brake. "Let me make this as simple as possible for you to understand. There are bigger forces at work here than you seem to realize, Shinji. The people pulling the strings around here have a plan. I don't know what it is, but it's big, and it's dangerous, and you are not going to stop it."

"I will if I-"

"No," said Kaji, "Listen. You're a wildcard. You're an x-factor, an unknown. No one knows what you're going to do. Right now, you're been serving their goals, stopping the angels, keeping the peace in the city, and everybody things you're working for the other side. They're all working on their plays, planning on how they can get rid of you, or if they can't do that, control you."

"No one is going to control me."

Kaji twisted in his seat, and leaned over him. "Oh? They aren't, are they? What if they decide to grab Asuka while you're out fighting an angel and you can't do anything about it? Maybe they'll torture Misato to death before they start on her, to prove their point. You don't know what you're dealing with, Shinji. I know it must feel good to be the invincible hero, but you're _not_ invincible. You can do a lot of things, but you can't be in two places at once."

Shinji looked at him for a moment, and for a bare second, Kaji thought that he might have gone too far. The kids eyes were watering. He took a sharp breath, and closed his eyes to calm himself.

"You could help me."

Kaji blinked. "What?"

"You talk like you're working with someone else. I know you're not doing all of this by yourself. Look, I'm not stupid. I know you're not in this alone. I don't know what you're goal is, but you wouldn't be telling me all of this. I know you care about Misato, I know you care about Asuka. I'm sorry I roughed you up on the ship."

Kaji stared at him, openly. "I don't know that I can trust you. You're not good at keeping secrets."

"Then help me," said Shinji. "You're right. I can't do this alone. I've been trying for too long. I think there are people at Nerv and people in Tokyo-3 that know something is wrong here, and they'd be willing to help us."

"Oh?" said Kaji, "Who?"

Shinji closed his mouth, and stared at him for a while. "It's not that easy."

"What is?" said Kaji.

"For all I know, you're just working for my father and this all a way to get me to expose the people who've been helping me."

Kaji sat back in his seat, stunned. "Very good," he said, "Very good. I'm impressed."

Shinji continued to watch him, intently. He wondered if the boy could see through his own eyelids. That would drive a man crazy. He probably didn't actually need to blink, now that Kaji thought about it.

"So," said Kaji. "I have to earn your trust."

"That's right," said Shinji. "It's a two way street, and so far all you've done is threaten me and try to intimidate me."

"So," said Kaji, leaning back in his seat, thinking. He gave up on trying to keep his breathing even. It wasn't like a polygraph, the operator of a lie detector couldn't see inside your damned skull. He took a deep breath, and thought about what it might be like to light the cigarette in his pocket.

"You need me to prove I'm trustworthy. Okay. I work for Nerv, as a liaison to the United Nations. That means I spy on the United Nations, but no one really cares what they do. I work for your father, and I work for the United Nations, each spying on each other."

"Sounds complicated," said Shinji.

"Most importantly I work for Seele, spying on your father, and the United Nations, in turn spying on them for him."

"Seele?" said Shinji.

"That's all for now," said Kaji. "Here's an idea. Go to our other sources. Talk to them. See if what I say lines up with what they say."

"Okay," said Shinji. "Don't try following me."

Kaji put the car in gear. "Let's go get dinner."

* * *

><p>Misato felt tension welling up between her shoulders. She'd thrown a t-shirt on over her leotard and in a stroke of brilliance on her part, made Asuka and Rei wear identical old shirts of hers over theirs. Without even being prompted, they'd taken up the same position at the table, sitting on one leg while the other dangled under the table, idly swinging in front of their chairs. Kaji sat closest to her, and Shinji next to him, opposite the girls. He kept glancing nervously at her, and at Asuka.<p>

Misato poked at her take-out. "I should have had you cook," she said, to Shinji.

"He's not your property," Asuka said sharply, turning her nose up.

Misato smirked. "Because he's your property, now? I still pay his salary."

"I don't get paid," said Shinji.

"You should," said Misato, "The pilots would have to take pay cuts, though."

"I am not taking a pay cut," said Asuka.

"We get paid?" said Rei.

Misato stared at her for a second, then shook her head. "Shinji? Rei? Would you excuse us for a minute?"

Shinji shrugged and stood up, taking his and Rei's dishes away, and cleared some of the cardboard detritus of their meal, piling it up before shoving it down the chute to the incinerator. Shinji stopped at the door.

"I'm going out for a while."

"Fine," said Misato, waving him away.

"I am going to watch television," said Rei.

"Fine," Misato sighed.

They were alone.

If Asuka stared at Kaji any harder, he would burst into flames.

"I'm sorry," was all he said.

Misato braced for impact, tensing reflexively. Asuka's eyes narrowed, and softened.

She stood up. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in that position. You…" she trailed off. "You did the right thing. I'm glad you did."

Kaji sat there, stunned. "Oh," he said. "Okay then."

"I'm going to my room," said Asuka, and left.

Kaji rocked forward in his seat and leaned his arms over the table. "Wow. I didn't see that coming."

"She's changing," said Misato. "She's growing up."

"It's him, isn't it," said Kaji. "He brings out the best in her."

"He has that effect on people," said Misato, turning a can of now-warm instant coffee in her hands.

"So," said Kaji.

"So," said Misato.

She shoved the table out of the way and would have knocked him out of his chair if he didn't stand up at the same time. She leaned into him and pushed him backwards into the refrigerator, rising up onto her toes to slide her arms around his neck as she kissed him. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, until her full weight was resting on his chest.

Then, just as abruptly, she pulled back, her stocking feet slipping on the cold floor of the kitchen.

"Shit," she said, "I's sorry, I-"

Kaji wiped the lipstick off his face with the back of his hand. "No, no, go on."

"I can't," she turned away to lean on the cupboard. She could feel his eyes on her. "I can't do this again. Not again."

He stood up, catching his breath. "It was you who left me, remember?"

"The first time-"

"Both times," said Kaji. "You asked to be transferred back here."

"You were supposed to chase me," said Misato. "If I mattered so much to you, why didn't you try to find me?"

"Does it matter?" he said as he crossed the kitchen and leaned over beside her. "I'm here now."

"It does matter," said Misato, standing to move away from him. The temptation was too much. "Where have you been? What have you been doing?"

"I can't tell you."

"_Bullshit," _she snapped, poking an accusatory finger into his chest. "You won't tell me because you don't trust me."

"That's not true," said Kaji. "I'm only trying to protect you. It's too easy to get caught up…"

"Protect me?" she snapped, "From what?"

"I can't tell you. I told you."

"Then that's it," she said, crossing her arms. She moved away from him and turned her back. "I'm not going to be held at arm's length."

Before she could stop him, and mostly because she didn't want to, he slid his arms around her waist, and molded himself to her. She leaned into his embrace instinctively, and he touched his cheek to hers until she turned her head, and he kissed her again.

She pulled away from him. "That's it. That was the last time."

He sighed, picked his jacket up from his chair, and headed for the door. "I guess so. I'll see you at work, maybe."

"Maybe," said Misato.

She watched him leave, and waited for the sound of the apartment door closing. When he was full and truly gone, she slumped down to the floor, sliding down until she was sitting, and put her face in her hands, fighting desperately not to start sobbing, each breath a struggle. She heard bare feet on the floor, and Rei padded into the room and sat down next to her.

"You are upset," she observed.

"Yeah," Misato said thickly, scrubbing at her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You refused Mister Kaji's advances," said Rei.

"Yeah," she said again.

"I do not understand. You obviously enjoyed his affections."

"That's not all there is to it."

"Ah," said Rei. "You enjoy physical intimacy with him, but you are not emotionally compatible."

Misato stared at her. "What? No, we're too emotionally compatible. I couldn't stop hanging off of him when we… why am I telling you this?"

Rei shrugged her tiny shrug. "Because I asked."

"You don't… you've never had a boyfriend or anything, have you, Rei?"

"No."

Misato let her head hit the cabinet, winced, and laughed bitterly. "Good, don't start. Get a motorcycle, they're more fun."

"I do not understand."

Misato eyed her. "Nevermind."

"A motorcycle cannot provide emotional companionship," said Rei.

Misato snorted. "I said nevermind. Look, don't listen to me, you'll just get depressed."

"I am still confused," said Rei. "If you enjoy his company emotionally and physically, why are you not… together… with him?"

"I don't know."

"I see," said Rei, standing up. "I would like to know if these conditions change."

Misato looked up at her. "You're really bad at girl talk, you know that?"

"Girl talk?" said Rei.

She stood up, grabbing a towel to wipe her face. "You know what," she said to no one in particular. "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki stepped out into the clearing, the note he'd found stuck inside his door folded in his pocket. Shinji was already there, leaning over the guard rail and looking down at the city. The old man stood next to him with his hands in his pockets, waiting. Shinji sighed and stood up. Fuyutsuki shook his head, wondering how he'd come to find it so commonplace to see him in his suit. The way he moved, it seemed like the cape draped over his shoulders was some kind of a burden.<p>

"Hello, Professor."

"Shinji," said Fuyutsuki. "What is it? Your note said you had something urgent to speak with me about."

"I need to know everything you know about Ryoji Kaji."

Fuyutsuki sighed. "Not much, I'm afraid. Why do you ask?"

Shinji watched him for a moment, and then sighed. Fuyutsuki listened as he told the story. Everything, beginning with the events on the aircraft carrier, and the conversation in the car. He could see the worry on the young man's face, and frowned. Deciding whether or not to tell your girlfriend that you're an alien-human hybrid with superhuman powers wasn't exactly a relatable problem. Fuyutsuki watched the city for a while in silence, taking in the flow of lights from cars moving down the broad avenues and over the elevated highways.

"There's a huge weight on your shoulders," said Fuyutsuki.

Shinji nodded, leaning his chin on one hand as he stared off into space.

"You must feel like you can't put it down. Why haven't you told her?"

"I'm afraid," he sighed. "What if she doesn't like me anymore?"

"Why wouldn't she? You're still the same person. From what you've told me, she likes you best when you stop hiding who you are."

He shook his head. "She can't stand Superman. Every time she sees me in this thing or hears about me on television or I come up in conversation, she starts ranting about how much of a showoff jerk I am."

Fuyutsuki thought about that for a moment, scratching his chin. "I think I know why that is. She's looking for validation, Shinji. She doesn't like it when someone praises someone else instead of her."

"Yeah, that's true."

Fuyutsuki shrugged. "Not the most admirable of character traits."

"She's not a bad person," said Shinji, standing up. "She's kind to people who get to know her. Her… her attitude is just an act. I don't know why she does it. It's like she drives people away on purpose."

"We all wear masks, Shinji," said Fuyutsuki. "We all have our public and private faces. Keeping them separate helps us stay sane. You can't be Superman all the time, you'd go mad. She can't be the person she is in private, with you, because she's afraid she'll get hurt. Her arrogance is a suit of armor, a way of keeping people out of her life for their sake, not hers."

"I know some other people like that," said Shinji. "What would you do?"

Fuyutsuki winced. He could see the pain in the boy's eyes, the need for guidance, and there was no one there to give it to him. Who could relate to something like this?

"I wouldn't leave her," said Fuyutsuki. "I learned my lesson the hard way, Shinji. There's nothing worse in this life than leaving feelings unsaid and unspoken. Kaji is wrong about your powers. You will put other people in danger, yes, but look at all the good you've done since you came here. You can't turn your back on that."

"There's the other part," said Shinji. "I need to know if I can trust him."

"Trust him? No. Work with him? Maybe. He has so many contacts and agendas that I honestly don't know who he's really working for. You were wise not to give him any information he couldn't deduce already, Shinji. It all depends if he has resources you can use."

"What is Seele? He wouldn't tell me anything else about it."

Fuyutsuki sighed, and paced back and forth a few feet, scuffing his shoes in the dirt. He looked up at the moon and inhaled, deeply. "The German word for soul."

"It's more than that," said Shinji, standing next to him. "You know, I can see it."

"What?"

"The Apollo landing site. I've always wondered if I can breathe in space."

"No one can breathe in space," said Fuyutsuki, wryly.

"You know what I mean."

Fuyutsuki sighed again. "It's something of a secret society. The leader is a man named Keel. I met him once, in Vienna. He took an interest in my research. He was pulling together groups of young graduate students from all over the world at the time, building a network of intellectuals to study some vague problem about human evolution. He believes that our species is an evolutionary dead end and needs some kind of a jump-start onto a new path to survive."

"That's wrong," said Shinji, "but that doesn't sound too bad."

"I wish it stopped there. They found what they needed, in Antarctica. It was Seele that caused Second Impact, and covered up the true cause. Keel has a large number of wealthy and influential men under his sway, operating in small cells. Several of them are on the Security Council. One of them was your grandfather."

"Why would Kaji be working for them?"

"To spy on us, and on each other. Seele isn't so much a group as a number of like-minded individuals, and no one ever knows what Keel is truly up to, or what he has planned."

Shinji nodded. "There's something else I need to tell you. It's about Kaworu. He's not human."

"How did you come on this?"

"Well," said Shinji, "He has a core in his chest, and he shoved me into a wall."

Fuyutsuki blinked. "What did you say?"

"I let him," said Shinji, "but I think he could have pushed harder, if he wanted to. I don't know what he's up to, and it scares me."

Fuyutsuki sighed. "I see."

"There's something else. Rei isn't human either, is she?"

Fuyutsuki swallowed. "She is, partly. I don't know how similar she and Kaworu are, if they're the result of the same process, but Rei is a created being. A clone. We made her."

"So," said Shinji, "That's what she meant, if I knew what she'd done."

"Who?'

He shook his head. "Nevermind. Who is she a clone… of…" His eyes widened. "Wait, you said she was related to me… no, it can't be."

Fuyutsuki watched him cycle through it. He could practically feel the wheels turning in the boys's head. He sank to his knees. "Rei Ayanami is a clone of my mother, isn't she?"

"After the accident," said Fuyutsuki, "We tried to recover your mother from within the Eva. She was to be the first pilot, by the synchronization process failed. It dissolved her body and-"

Shinji was on his feet at once. "_What? _You have to stop this, now. Cancel the program. I'll stop the angels. I can't let anyone pilot those things if-"

Fuyutsuki put a hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're afraid of. Asuka will be safe, Shinji."

"How do you know? What if that _thing_ absorbs her, too?"

"I don't think it will," said Fuyutsuki. "There is no safety system, Shinji. The buffer that prevents the pilot from being absorbed is another human soul. Your mother is alive, and resides in Unit One even now."

He waited. Shinji tried to say something, but all that came out was a choked sob. He sank to his knees, his cape pooling around him, and wailed into his hands. Fuyutsuki stood there like a statue, frozen, watching while his stomach sank down through his knees.

After a time, the boy was quiet. He stood up.

"I'll find a way to get her out. Someday, I will."

"You can't," said Fuyutsuki. "Rei was the closest we ever came, the body, but not the soul, the essence. It can't be done."

"Yes it can," said Shinji. "I'm Superman. I can do anything."

* * *

><p>"This is ridiculous," Asuka grumbled, arms folded over her chest. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling on a sleeping bag in the middle of the living room. "I have a bed."<p>

"It's a bonding exercise," said Misato, also staring up at the ceiling.

Asuka huffed. "We could bond in my bed, then. I don't see why I have to lie on the floor for a week."

"You'll live," said Misato. "During the Impact Wars, people would have died to sleep on this floor."

Asuka snorted. "Yeah, and I'll bet you had to walk uphill to school both ways, too."

"Captain Katsuragi is correct," said Rei. "Sleeping on the floor is preferable to-"

"I don't feel very bonded," Asuka said as she rolled over.

"Her bed would be a preferable option," said Rei.

Misato sighed. "No. That would be missing the point. Besides, Shinji would have a heart attack."

"I don't understand," said Rei. "Why would our sleeping in a bed cause him to have a cardiac event?"

"You're hopeless," said Asuka.

* * *

><p>Shinji was starting to get tired of this.<p>

Four days into the grand experiment in team building, Asuka and Rei were synchronizing with each other perfectly, during the dancing exercises. The rest of the time, Asuka was angrily sniping at Misato about being unable to sleep in her room, and having an extra person in the house. It came as something of a relief when, over dinner, Misato announced, "I'm going to be working overnight tonight. I have to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow."

Everything proceeded normally for the rest of the evening, even with Misato gone. Shinji cleaned up the dishes while Rei and Asuka practiced some more in the living room. He fed Pen-Pen a special treat, for no real reason at all, actually cooking some fresh fish for him. The bird warked appreciatively, spied that Rei was still in the apartment, and hid. Shinji had to fight not to stare along with him. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he could see it. The shape of her jaw, the fine subtleties of the shape of her eyes, the way she walked and moved.

A clone of his mother.

He shuddered. What did that make her? Sister? Aunt? She wasn't even fully human. He couldn't judge her for that, after all, but it was still a shock. He kept away from the both of them while he worked, trying to think.

After the dishes were done, he snuck into his room, closed the door, and tried to catch up on his homework. While the shelters had opened, the city was still in a state of emergency and schools were closed, and he had assignments to do while he was at home. Asuka had ignored all of hers, of course, and he wasn't sure Rei ever did schoolwork at all. He sighed, poring over some boring set of equations. He had to fill them out at a reasonable rate, as going too fast would burn through the paper.

He felt a genuine sense of fatigue as he went to lie down. He turned off the light and rolled onto his side, and started to drift off to sleep. Vague memories teased him, of walking in a summer city with a warm, soft hand clutching his. He realized he couldn't remember what his mother looked like anymore, and sighed deeply to himself.

It was nearly midnight when his door opened. He looked over his shoulder. Asuka crept into his room quietly, closing the door behind her, and nudged him with her foot.

"Move over."

He shimmied towards the wall.

"No, idiot. The other way."

He moved to the edge of his sleeping mat and she stepped over him, and lowered herself down between him and the wall. It was a tight fit, so he rolled over on his side to make room for her. She pulled her hair behind her head to move it out of his face and lay there for a while, just breathing.

"Are you okay?" she said.

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about you."

"I'll do fine."

He sighed. "I'm not worried you'll make a mistake. I'm worried you'll be hurt."

She looked at him, her blue eyes bright in the darkness, and smiled enigmatically. Then, she rolled over, and faced the wall. "I'm going to sleep."

He lay there for a moment, and started to drift of on his own.

"Idiot," she muttered, "I have to do everything."

Asuka reached over, grabbed his arms, and yanked him into her side. She turned and pulled his arms around her waist, and pushed her back against his chest until he got the hint and embraced her, resting his head against hers.

"Better," she yawned.

He didn't know how long he slept, only that there was sunlight spilling in under the door when he woke up. He didn't move for fear that he would wake her, until he heard something like a sob. Asuka shuddered in his grasp, and he shook her gently. She woke up with a start, sitting up and staring at him in confusion for a moment.

"Oh," she said.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

He looked at her. She bit her lip. "I had a bad dream."

"About what?"

She shook her head. "Nothing," and then she sighed. "It was about my mother."

"Your mother?" said Shinji. "What-"

"When I was eight," said Asuka, "she died. She…" her voice trailed off, wavering. "She took her own life."

"I'm sorry," he said, and he pulled her close to him, as tightly as he dared.

"Where… I know where your father is, but where's your mother?"

"She's dead," said Shinji. "I was so little I can't really remember her that well. I think I was six."

She turned around and slid her arms around his neck. "I've never told anyone about this. Ever. It's a secret. Just for us."

"Just for us," said Shinji. He looked at her, and swallowed. "Asuka, there's something I have to tell you."

"What?"

"I'm… I don't know how to say this. I, ah, I'm…"

Misato chose that exact moment to slam the door back. "Wakey wakey! Eggs and bakey!"

"Damn it!" Asuka shouted, jumping up from his embrace. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"If I remember right," Misato grinned, "I made a rule about certain people sneaking into certain people's rooms."

Shinji groaned.

"I'm willing to let this slide. I'm going to file it under the life-or-death-battle-today exception, but it better not happen again."

Misato didn't seem especially serious about it, waggling her finger and grinning. Asuka waited for her to leave before she huffed and hugged herself.

"Ugh, I have to go get ready. What were you going to tell me?"

"It's not important," said Shinji. "It can wait."

* * *

><p>Misato tapped her foot as she watched the Evas take up their positions, standing next to each other, crouching like warriors in repose, each grasping a progressive spear. The shimmering field over the angel was beginning to flicker and distort, and the creature beneath moved, pulling apart again into two distinct parts. She held her breath as the field went down and the creatures stood up.<p>

"On your marks."

Both of the gargantuan machines tensed visibly, the movement curiously human. She could feel the eyes of the command center on her as she in turn watched the creature drawing nearer to them, moving out of the flooded crater where it had rested and reconstructed itself. Misato straightened.

"Begin."

The umbilicals both blew off at once, and the Evas charged, their movements perfectly synchronized, each step falling within less than a second of the other. Rei had never been gifted in close combat, but had learned well from her partner. Both pilots spun away from the angel's first attacks, moving apart in a movement so graceful it could have been a dance.

Always aware of each other, they bobbed and weaved around the angels, forcing them closer and closer together while deftly avoiding each other. The creatures countered with fiery blasts from their face plates, and both Evas danced out of the way, moving lightly in a tightening circle around the angel. The creature's bisected bodies were touching when they made the final stroke, turning as one to impale it from either side.

Each of their spears plunged through the angel's twin cores, through the space between them, and into the other's body. The full operation took one minute, and ended with Asuka and Rei standing triumphantly on either side of the creature as it slumped in on itself, the twin cores shattered.

"That's weird," Misato mused quietly to herself. "He didn't show up this time."

Standing beside her, Shinji shrugged and handed her a cup of coffee. "I guess this wasn't a job for Superman."

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<br>_

Last Child of Krypton: Redux_  
><em>

**S**

**_Chapter 10: Masks_**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>"Ritsuko?"<p>

She awoke with a start, and in sitting up, realized that a sheet of paper had been plastered to her face by drool. She quickly snatched it and pressed it flat on the desk, trying desperately to smooth out the wrinkles. When Ritusko realized it was smudged, she touched her cheek and drew away a grayish smear of wet ink. Maya coughed, pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, and gave it to her. As Ritsuko dabbed the ink away, Maya sat down.

Before she could see it, Ritsuko hastily covered the report on Superman's genetic material and slipped it onto the other side of her keyboard, then pinched at the bridge of her nose, yawning.

"What is it?"

Folded against Maya's chest was a report. She handed it over, and Ritsuko flipped through it. Clipped to one page was what looked like an ultrasound of a fetus. She pulled the image free and turned it in her fingers, studying it. There was something off about it, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maya looked at her feet, fidgeting in her seat.

"Who's pregnant," said Ritsuko.

Maya blinked. "Uh, Ritsuko?"

"What?"

"Did you, um, did you report? That's side scanning sonar from Mount Asama."

"_What?"_

Ritsuko took a swing of cold coffee, realized she'd put a cigarette out in it, and spat the cold, acid liquid back into the mug, coughing. She brushed her lips with the back of her hand, not caring that her lipstick smeared, and flipped back to the front of the folder. Touching her fingernail to the page, she skimmed down the abstract, and then flipped over to the first page, and started rapidly flipping through it, looking for the numbers.

"Tell me this hasn't gotten out into the wild."

Maya shook her head. "Yoshida's men have the scientists in custody and all of their equipment on lockdown. The MAGI picked up that report and prevented the university from receiving it. That's the only paper copy."

"Good," Ritsuko said absently.

She pressed the folder closed and tossed it into a place of prominence atop the mountain of paperwork that spread around her in a vast semicircle, coating every open space in her lab with great slabs of printouts. She leaned on her hands and scrubbed her fingers through her hair, and let out a ragged sigh that was part yawn.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Last week, I think. My back is killing me."

Maya stood up and moved behind her, and Ritsuko watched from the corner of her eye, confused for a moment, as Maya settled in behind her. She sucked in a breath and tensed up as her assistant's fingers touched lightly to her shoulders, and started to massage. She relaxed, and her eyes closed involuntarily.

"This is extremely exciting," said Ritsuko.

"Yes it is," said Maya.

"The angel, I mean."

"I know."

Ritsuko sighed and leaned against the back of her chair. A high back office chair with actual arms was one of the perks of being the head of the entire Evangelion project. "I didn't say stop."

"Oh," said Maya, squeezing the sore spaces around her neck. "Okay."

"Mmm, I'm going to have let Misato in on this. She'll have some harebrained scheme to deal with it, I'm sure."

"So we're going to kill it, right?"

Ritsuko bit her lip. "That would be the logical thing to do. "

"Uh oh," said Maya.

"It seems to be in an immature state," said Ritsuko, studying the photograph in her hands. "It's remarkable how human like it is. If I didn't know what I was looking for, I might not even recognize it. I wonder…"

"What?" said Maya.

"It's stupid," said Ritsuko. "That feels great, by the way."

Maya smiled broadly. "Thank you."

"My back is still killing me, though."

"You want to, um," Maya said nervously, "Turn around?"

Ritsuko looked up at her with open eye, stood up, and turned around so that she leaned forward onto the back of the chair, and kicked her feet to spin it around. Maya gently started working the muscles of her upper back while Ritsuko rested her chin on the top of the chair and closed her eyes.

"We could capture it," she said.

"Is that a good idea?"

"No, it's a terrible idea, but imagine what we could learn from it."

Maya giggled. "When they say that in movies, something bad always happens."

Ritsuko opened one eye. Was Maya flirting with her?

"Mmm, I suppose so. If I start cackling, you may have to restrain me."

Maya turned beet red, her shoulders climbing up to her ears. Ritsuko looked back at her and laughed quietly to herself. "My back still hurts," she said.

"Okay," said Maya.

"Here's what I want you to do," Ritsuko said as Maya started in on her back again. "I want you to get a team out there monitoring all of that seismic detection equipment. Keep the area on lockdown, that's good. If this thing starts moving or shows any signs of activity, I want to know ten minutes before it happens. Yes, keep doing that," she said as Maya moved lower, towards the painfully tender small of her back. "I want you to call Misato and tell her I need her in here to go over this stuff in two hours."

"What happens in two hours?"

"I wake up, hopefully. I'm going to find a cot in the barracks and get some sleep."

"Okay," said Maya. "I'll do that. Is there anything else?"

"Next time we're not on alert, and our schedules match up, I want you to go out to dinner and see a movie with me."

"Okay, I, uh what?"

"You heard me. I liked our little coffee date. Just us. No shop talk."

"Oh," said Maya, excitedly. "I know, there's this American movie opening next week. It's about this girl that has a magic hammer."

"That's fine," Ritsuko mused. "Now go get started."

"Yes, ma'am," said Maya, standing up.

"And stop calling me that."

* * *

><p>Shinji stopped in his tracks and groaned when he saw them. Toji Kensuke were standing on either side of the front steps of the school. Each had on a blue cotton t-shirt with his emblem on it. Hikari stood next to Toji in a pink version, the symbol outlined in silver with tiny sparkly buttons sewn to it. A crowd of students were milling around, exchanging money for identical t-shirts and some sort of pamphlet. He didn't have to imagine Asuka, who stood next to him, grinding her teeth. He could hear it, plain as day.<p>

"What," she growled, "are you doing?"

"Selling memberships to the Superman Fan Club," said Toji.

"The Superman Fan Club is a service organization dedicated to Superman's ideals of truth and justice," said Kensuke.

"It's in the pamphlet," said Hikari.

"You're in on this?" said Asuka.

Hikari shrugged. "I like the shirt."

"I designed it," said Kensuke, proudly.

"What are you doing with the money?" said Shinji.

"We're donating it to charity," said Kensuke.

"Uh-huh," said Shinji.

"Minus our expenses," said Hikari.

"And a small salary for ourselves," said Kensuke. "Only about twenty perce-"

Toji batted him up the side of his head. Kensuke frowned, but brightened when another boy pushed past Shinji with a sheaf of bills in hand. Asuka and Shinji both stared in shock as Kensuke added the money to a growing roll he kept in a bag around his waist and handed out a shrink-wrapped shirt.

"I don't know whether I'm annoyed," said Asuka, "or furious."

"You're always furious," said Toji.

Hikari gave him a withering look. "It's for a good cause. We're giving money to the hospital."

"I suppose it is a good cause," Asuka shrugged.

Toji grinned, and lifted a shirt from his box. He held it out to Asuka. "On the house."

"What?" said Asuka.

"If we give it to the hottest girl in school… uh, besides Hikari, and you wear it around, it'll be-"

"I am not wearing that," said Asuka, crossing her arms. "Not now, not ever."

Toji sighed, and shoved the shirt at Shinji instead.

"I don't think I'd look very good in it," said Shinji.

"Just take it, man," said Toji. "See if you can get her to wear it."

Shinji sighed, wearily, and took the shirt. He left it in the wrap and stuffed it into his bag, between his books and on top of the secret compartment he'd sewn into the pack, where he concealed a much better looking version that he'd made himself. He shrugged his bag back on, and then turned to see Rei riding up to the school on a motorcycle.

It wasn't a motorcycle, to be exact, more of a scooter, and she was a little shaky coming to a stop in front of the building. She fumbled with the controls for a moment before she succeeded in killing the engine, and had to look to find the kickstand. She dismounted a smooth motion that drew the attention of a distant knot of boys who were watching her, and pulled a pair of sunglasses off of her face and hung them between the buttons on her shirt, by the earpiece.

"What the hell are you doing?" said Asuka.

"I bought a motorcycle."

"You're not old enough to drive," said Hikari.

Rei glanced back at the motorcycle. "The salesman also argued that point until I displayed my Nerv badge."

"_Why do you have a motorcycle?"_ said Asuka.

"Captain Kats— Misato suggested it," said Rei.

"And the glasses?" said Shinji.

"The salesman informed me that they are 'cool'. I have also purchased an extended warranty and service plan, for additional 'coolness'."

Asuka groaned, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can we go inside now, before any more of the signs of the apocalypse happen?"

"The Revelation of Saint John does not mention motorcycles," said Rei.

"Let's go already," said Asuka, turning.

Shinji sighed, and followed her.

* * *

><p>"You want me to <em>what?"<em> said Misato.

The rudiments of what Ritsuko said were clear in her mind. The specifics, though, made absolutely no sense. She was looking at a fuzzy, distorted image of something that looked like a curled up lizard with an oversized eye and tiny little arms, and Ritsuko was telling her that it was an angel inhabiting a flow of molten rock under a volcano.

"You want to capture it," said Misato. "Are you serious?"

"Completely," said Ritsuko.

Misato leaned back in her chair. "You look like shit, by the way. I think you need to get laid."

Ritsuko puffed on her cigarette, glancing contemptuously at the break room sign that thanked her for not smoking. She blew out a tall column of smoke and offered to Misato, who waved her off. Ritsuko took another drag and stubbed it out in her ashtray, which dislodged several more butts onto the table.

"I know," she sighed, "and I'm working on it."

"Oh?" said Misato. "Someone I know?"

Ritsuko actually blushed. "Maybe."

"It might be me," Kaji said amiably, sauntering in the room with a cup of coffee in one hand and the other thrust into his pocket. An unlit cigarette, damp and crumpled, hung from the corner of his mouth.

"I highly doubt that," said Ritsuko.

Misato casually, or so she thought, flipped the folder closed as she picked up her own coffee. Kaji had already had an eyeful, though. He turned a chair around and sat down, sighing as he leaned forward on the chair back.

"Nobody offer me any coffee or anything."

"We can handle that," said Ritsuko.

Kaji pouted, mockingly. "Oh, why the cold shoulder, Rits? Maybe we could pick up where we left off."

"If you're looking for a gutter," Ritsuko said, "There's plenty outside."

Kaji smiled. "I see the cat still has claws."

"As long and sharp as yours," said Ristuko. "Did you want something?"

Kaji shrugged. "I was taking a break from work, you know. I thought I'd get out of the office.

To spy. "What work? You don't do anything."

Kaji grinned. "Yes, I do. I'm a liaison. I liaise. You should be glad, Katusragi. If it weren't for me, the Secretary General of the United Nations would be camping outside your office."

"I'll bet," said Misato. "What did she want?"

"Oh, you know, to know what the hell is going on. She seems quite insistent that you know Superman's true identity."

Misato shook her head. "I have no idea. He doesn't wear a mask, and far as I'm concerned, that's the end of it."

Kaji glanced at Ritsuko. Misato could see it, some mental calculus unfurling behind his eyes. Ritsuko noticed his attention and clasped her hands around her coffee cup to stop them from shaking. She licked her lip, but said nothing. Misato leaned forward and swept the folder towards her chest.

"So, did you want something, or are you just here to ogle us?"

Kaji smirked. "Oh, but there is so much to ogle. I have to say, Rits, I like the new look. I almost didn't recognize you, but your world famous a-"

"Kaji," Misato said, very primly, "Get out, or I will shoot you."

He nodded and grinned a wolfish grin and jumped up, turning the chair easily in one hand, and slid it back in place. He bowed mockingly and retreated, glancing over his shoulder at Misato. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You okay?" said Misato.

"Fine," said Ritsuko. "He is such a pig, I swear."

"Tell me about it," said Misato.

"I'd really rather not. I still feel bad about fobbing him off on you."

"Huh?"

"Back when we were in school," said Ritsuko. "I sort of set you up with him to get him off my back. He was writing me love letters like a teenage boy."

"Huh," said Misato. "He never wrote me any stupid letters."

Ritsuko shrugged. "I have no idea."

At that moment, Makoto Hyuga decided to come running into the room, a stack of printouts clutched in his hands. He skidded to a stop, his polished uniform shoes sliding across the tile floor. He very nearly doubled over the table in this excitement. He stood up, panting, and adjusted his glasses.

"Captain, Doctor Akagi, there's an emergency. We've detected an angel. The MAGI have confirmed…"

"We know," said Ritsuko. "We've already seen the reports on the volcano, I sent-"

"What?" said Hyuga. "What volcano? This thing is in outer space. NORAD picked it up on their-"

Misato jumped to her feet, scooping the folder under her arm. "Let's go. Start filling me in."

They passed Kaji on the way out, fumbling at one of the vending machines. He turned an ear, but Misato ignored him. He'd find out sooner or later.

"As I said, NORAD picked it up on their deep space monitoring system-"

"Why does NORAD have a deep space monitoring system?"

Ritsuko made a tiny crazy-head motion with her finger.

"Anyway," said Hyuga, walking beside her down the hall. "They picked it up an hour ago, and forwarded it to us. I had to do some hacking to get the senors to pick up something that far out, but it's a definite blue pattern. We don't have a visual yet, but I have some radar images."

He handed Misato a blurry blue splotch on a black background, marked at regular intervals with a grid of white lines. He pointed to the outer perimeter of the splotch.

"It's about five hundred meters across."

Ritsuko stopped dead in her tracks. "What did you say?"

"Five hundred meters across, we have no way of guessing the mass, but the MAGI are-"

"Five hundred meters," said Ritsuko, taking the image from Misato's hands. "What are these?"

She was pointing to a series of smaller blotches, trailing behind the big one.

"We don't know yet," said Hyuga. "The MAGI suggested that the main mass may be trailing smaller ones in behind it, intending to-"

"Drop them," said Misato. "Like bombs. It'll send pieces of itself down from orbit and…"

They both started running.

* * *

><p>Shinji watched Asuka and Rei get in the staff car, and started working his way towards the shelter. What he meant to do, of course, was peel off and find a convenient, secluded spot behind the school to stash his civilian clothes and take off. He needed to get a handle on the situation. He couldn't hear or see anything, even taking a few bounding steps that didn't quite connect with the ground. Usually, he had some kind of warning of his own before the alarm went off. He was so intent on looking around that he almost didn't notice Kaji's car, parked down the road from the school. The man himself met his gaze from behind the wheel.<p>

Shinji shouldered his bag and jogged down the street, looking around for someone that might see him, or security cameras. When he got to the car, he leaned down by the driver's side. Kaji rolled the window down. He looked around, pointedly focusing on a few spots, and quick glances showed video cameras cleverly hidden behind wall alcoves and trees. Shinji swallowed. It had only been pure luck that he hadn't run by them before, hopping out of his shoes with his uniform half on.

"Hop in," said Kaji, loudly enough to be heard. "Katsurai sent me to pick you up."

Shinji darted around to the other side and slid in, holding his bag on his lap. Kaji thre the car in gear and gunned the engine loudly.

"Katsuragi didn't send me."

"I figured," said Shinji. "What's going on?"

Kaji pulled a computer printout from beside his seat and handed it to Shinji. He took it, but could make neither head nor tail of it, it looked like a black blotch with some kind of grid over it.

"That's an angel," said Kaji, "that just showed up in low Earth orbit. It's five hundred meters wide, probably heavy enough that when it lands it's going to turn this entire province into a smoking crater, and it's pulling pieces of itself behind it that are probably going to detach and start hitting the Earth's surface in about half an hour. The MAGI have the first one coming in somewhere in the mid Atlantic."

"What's their plan? They can't possibly get the Evas-"

"No," said Kaji, "they can't. One of these things is going to hit the Atlantic Ocean not far from the European coast. They're ready for a tsunami but not something like this. It'll go right over the sea walls."

Shinji nodded. "So you're telling me Nerv has no plan to help these people."

"That's right," said Kaji, "Nerv's first and only priority is to prevent an angelic incursion into the Geofront."

"Then pull over," said Shinji. "This looks like a job for Superman."

Kaji pulled the car into a no doubt carefully chosen parking lot. Shinji didn't wait for an invitation. He jumped out, leaving the door hanging wide. Kaji's movements slowed to a crawl, the sound waves travelling from his lips visible as ripples in the air as Shinji stripped off his shirt, unbelted his pants and threw them in the car, and started pulling on his uniform. A split second later, a very confused Kaji was staring at him rifling through his bag in full uniform, tucking his glasses away in a side compartment as he folded his clothes and put them in the main pouch.

"Watch out for this," said Shinji. "It's got my homework in it."

"I'll drop it off at your place," said Kaji, but he was already gone.

* * *

><p>Misato stood over the MAGI results with Ritsuko. "Okay," she said, "here it is. Based on these projections, the angel is going to enter low Earth orbit in one hour. Assuming it starts dropping those things, they will come down here, here, and here," she pointed to spots on the map.<p>

Asuka craned over the map. "What are we going to do about that?"

"Nothing," she sighed. "Pray, I don't know. There's nothing we can do, we couldn't hope to relocate you that fast, and even if we could, we can't let it breach the Geofront."

"Then what?" said Asuka.

"If these projections are right," said Ritsuko, "It's coming in very fast, at a very steep angle. There will be a lot of heat and a massive pressure wave."

"I've already sent out the evacuation orders," said Misato. "We need to clear the entire province."

"That may not be enough," Ritsuko said, quietly. "At this speed, I don't know we're going to stop it, and it gets worse."

"Great," said Misato.

"If these projections are wrong, and it course corrects, it could use the Earth's gravity in a slingshot effect, the way the Americans did to send their space vehicles to the Moon. It'll build up even more speed. If it made three or four revolutions… well, I had the MAGI run the numbers."

Misato stood up, and ran her hands through her hair. "And?"

"The impact energy would be about 2.35 gigatons."

Asuka blinked. Even Rei looked worried.

"Did you say-"

"Gigatons," said Ritsuko. "The explosion itself will be half the size of China. The mushroom cloud will reach the Moon, and the flash will be visible from Mars. This is an extinction level event. All life on Earth will be exterminated."

A complete silence fell across the room.

"I'm against that," said Asuka.

"So how the hell do we stop it?" said Misato.

Ritsuko shook her head. "I have no idea."

"The AT field," said Rei.

"What?" said Misato.

"A sufficiently powerful AT Field is effectively impenetrable."

"You can't just catch something going that fast," said Ritsuko. "It'll smash right through even the strongest field, the same way the positron cannon punched through the sixth angel's field."

"Wait," said Misato, "You're a genius! We could shut down the power grid again, channel everything through the Evas-"

"It still wouldn't be enough," said Ritsuko. "It would go right through the field."

"If it struck it head on," said Rei. "May I make a suggestion?"

Ritsuko looked at her, an odd look of approval in her eyes. Even Asuka seemed to noticed it, her gaze flickering between the two. Misato coughed.

Rei moved to the table and picked up a pencil. "You are taking a flawed approach." She underlined the angel's projected speed. "Even at the minimum speed you have calculated, the angel will be exceeding escape velocity by a considerable degree."

"Go on," said Ritsuko.

"It faces the same danger as any object attempting to reentry. If it is deflected-"

Ritsuko's jaw dropped. "_Brilliant, _Rei. It'll go skipping off into space, and no amount of energy will allow it to turn back around again."

"Won't it just come back?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "The stresses will probably tear it apart, and if not, it would take a huge amount of energy to perform that type of maneuver."

"I have an idea, too," said Asuka, leaning forward. She snatched up a pencil of her own and jotted out a quick equation on the table. "We're thinking about energy weapons, because that's how our sniper rifle works."

"And?" said Misato.

"If it's going that fast, we can use its own energy against it. If we fire any solid projectile into the core, the angel's own momentum will make it incredibly deadly."

"So," said Misato, "We let it come down, deflect it with your AT-Fields,"

"AT Field," Rei corrected. "Channeling the energy through one Evangelion will be much more efficient, and will generate a stronger field than two could together-"

"Due to the conversion loss, yes," said Ritsuko. "Brilliant, both of you."

Asuka grinned. "So one of us projects a field, while the other fires a solid shell straight into the core."

Misato nodded. "Here's what we'll do. We jury-rig the scope and aiming system from the positron rifle onto a palette gun. Rei, get down to the cages. I'll send Maya and Hyuga down there to get started on modifying the gun. We'll need to calibrate the aiming system. Asuka, you're going to be our catcher. Unit One is going to pump out the strongest possible AT-Field it can, and redirect this god damn thing into space."

"I'll start working on a guidance program," said Ritsuko. "We're going to have a very narrow angle for the field, here."

"Let's go," said Misato. "I need to find Kaji, so he can actually do his job. We need to get some kind of warning out about the secondary impacts."

Hyuga knocked on the door frame and leaned over. "I think we have that covered, Captain. A man-sized object just crossed the Sea of Japan at Mach 12."

* * *

><p>Paolo heard the commotion on the deck of the <em>Ave Maria<em> and turned from the wheel house. His crew, three hardened men with years at sea, aboard the _Maria_ and other fishing boats, were standing on his deck ignoring their tasks and staring up at the sky. He opened his mouth to hurl an invective at them and order them back to work when he happened to glance upwards, and he, too craned his neck to the sky. A second moon had appeared in the heavens, a bright flaming sphere that trailed behind it rich black smoke, as from a coal fire. It was moving across the sky at astonishing speed, coming from a sharp angle to the horizon.

He felt something, a pressure in his chest, and saw a long, wide whitecap sweep away from the shore, past the _Maria's _prow and out to sea. The boat rocked, and a larger, stronger waved pushed away from land and swept under his little boat, lifting it. Instinctively, he put his hand on the rail and clamped down, hard. He shouted at the men but the sound was lost in the sudden rush of air. It didn't matter, as they clung to the gunwales themselves, and turned just in time to see something red, blue, and silent flash over their heads without a sound. For a moment, he thought it was some kind of UFO, a flying saucer from television.

The sonic boom cracked the windows, and nearly made him fall. He could see the path of the small object clearly, from the trail of steam that followed it and the wave that formed on the sea surface as it passed.

"¿Qué fue eso? ¿Fue un avión?" Paolo called.

_ "Es Superman!"_

* * *

><p>Part of what made flying at ultrasonic speeds difficult was, other than the flapping of his own eardrums, the complete absence of sound. He could still see perfectly well, though, and what he saw was a perfectly smooth white sphere the size of a city bus, heading down through the atmosphere at a sharp angle, quick enough to superheat the air around it into plasma. He had no real choice, other than the slow it down enough to prevent it from hitting the water. Once it struck the ocean, it would dump all of its energy into the water, creating a massive pressure wave that he simply would not be able to stop, as it would spread too far, too wide, too quickly. Not even he could hold back the ocean.<p>

He could feel the heat pouring off the projectile as he approached. It was coming in at a steep angle, rolling over itself in flight, a curled mass of hardened fibers. A wave of turbulence hit him as he drew closer, buffeting him back until he fell into its trail. He reached out, putting his head down to keep the smoke out of his nostrils, until he felt his fingers dig into the fibrous surface, crushing under his fingers like wound up hairs. When he had a grip on it, Shinji pulled himself onto the surface and planted his feet, and started to crawl along the surface.

He tried pulling it first, but the top layer of the object broke off with a loud crunch and tumbled off into the air behind him. Remembering the airplane, he thought better of that and moved around the other side, crawling on all fours, until he was in front of it. When he pushed against it, he could feel it starting to crack under the pressure. The ocean was perilously close, now, and he only had a few seconds. If he let it break up, the impact would still send a massive wave rippling out.

He could feel the ocean spray as he turned it, redirecting its momentum back up, towards the sky. He let himself roll around until he was behind it again, put his hands on it, and gave it a gentle push. The water tilted lazily as it fell away beneath him, and the sky darkened as the atmosphere thinned and the stars winked into being. A trail of cloud surged up behind him, and at last, he had an answer to that question that had so plagued him.

He released the great tumorous chunk of angel-stuff and watched it from the edge of vacuum as it drift off into space, and turned. He could see the great mass of the angel itself high overhead, almost imperceptibly moving towards the edge of the atmosphere even as it rapidly orbited, moving so fast through the vacuum that he doubted he could catch it. In any case, it didn't matter. Another piece of angel-flesh had detached and was not so much drifting as powering downwards at a steep angle, and as he watched, he saw the bright glow of superheated air forming around it.

* * *

><p>"That's great," said Misato, putting the handset in the lab down. She picked up her folder and headed out of Ritsuko's empty lab, where she'd just looked over the cobbled together specifications for the new sniper variant of the standard palette rifle. In the hallway, she nearly ran into Kaji.<p>

She tried to duck to the side to get around him, but he grabbed her arm.

"What?" she snapped, harder than she meant to.

"Look," he said. "I-"

"What?"

"You know there's a pretty good chance-"

"We're all going to die? Yes, Kaji, I'm aware of that."

"I don't think we are."

She stopped. "What? I don't have time for this."

He let go of her arm. "I just wanted to say…"

"What? What did you just want to say?"

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm sorry. If we die I want to die knowing I said I-"

"I get it," she snapped, pushing him away. She didn't need this now, and she didn't need to be blinking tears out of her eyes. "You're usually smoother than this."

"I'm having a rough day. Who was on the phone?"

"The bridge," said Misato. "The object headed for the Atlantic was diverted back into space. We're tracking Superman, he's somewhere in France right now."

"We might actually make it," said Kaji.

"It doesn't matter if we don't stop the main mass. Please, I have work to do."

"Yeah," said Kaji, "Me too."

As he passed, she hurried down the hall, darted into the open elevator, and slapped the button. She leaned against the back and took in a deep breath, shuddering. What the hell was she doing this to herself for? She hit the button for the cages and waited, arms folded across her chest. She did her best to straighten herself when the doors opened and she stepped out, the cold air of the cage unfolding over her. She was surprised to find Asuka lurking in an alcove, dressed in her plugsuit, her hair folded over one shoulder. She had her phone out and was staring at it in, looking by turns infuriated and worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Shinji doesn't answer his phone," Asuka said quietly. "He's not on base."

Misato ducked in beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Oh," she said, "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's probably in the shelter with all of your classmates."

Asuka nodded, a stuttering ,unsure gesture, as if she was afraid moving her head too hard might shake tears out. "You're right, it's just…"

"You're scared," said Misato. "I know. I am too."

"You don't show it."

Misato blinked. "It's going to be okay. We'll make it."

"What if we don't," said Asuka, staring at the phone. "I've never really told him… you know… how I feel."

Misato swallowed. "You will. When you're out there, just remember how important it is that is you come back. I know this is hard, Asuka, but everyone in the whole world is counting on you, right now. Everyone."

Asuka straightened. "I can do this." She looked around the corner at Unit One. "We can do this."

"Come on," said Misato, "I have to run you through the control program that Ritsuko made up for your AT-Field."

* * *

><p>Shinji was in trouble.<p>

There were too many, and they were coming down too fast. He wasn't sure where he was, somewhere over Germany or Austria maybe, and he was trailing behind the next incoming projectile as he chased after it. There was no sound but the rushing of his own blood in his ears and the air had sucked all the tears out of his eyes. The immense pressure of hypersonic flight was crushing his arms to his sides like a straightjacket. He was afraid for a moment that he wasn't going to make it.

The bright, smoky trail of the incoming object was ahead of him now, and he was beginning to feel actual fatigue, a welling tiredness behind his eyes that was so alien it took him a moment to remember what it was to be tired. He wasn't going to be grabbing all of these things and shoving them back out into space this time. He'd need to come up with something else. He saw glittering lights on the horizon and realized what the angel was aiming for. He thought he saw signs in Russian, but he was going so fast he had to close his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them, he saw the coiled mass of the angel's weapon screaming in on the target, lighting the trees afire from its passage. He swept off to the side, hoping that if he couldn't redirect it into space, he could at least divert it. He put his head down and _pushed_, willed himself to go faster and faster, and he wasn't sure if he was screaming or not anymore. He wheeled, he turned, and he rammed it.

He felt the impact. He thought he put his arms out, but it didn't seem to matter. The pressure wave cascaded over him, crushing him, rolling down every part of his body at once until it felt like his eyeballs were trying to force themselves out through his ears. He had a vague sense of falling through space, of the world turning and upending on itself, and the return of sound as he slowed and the cold slap of wet grass under his face until he skidded to a stop.

He opened his eyes, to find a thin man in coveralls staring down at him.

"Супермен?"

"Uh," he groaned, clutching his head as he sat up. "Uh, what?"

"Супермен? Тобі боляче?"

He tried to think. Russian? No, Ukranian maybe. He looked up at the sky, and his vision fuzzed a little. The night sky had gone bright, lit by a thousand spreading embers, a wave of flaming debris that spread out from the bursting point. He'd succeeded in finding a way to take them down quickly, it seemed.

"I'm sorry, I have to go."

The thin man in the overalls shrugged. "Удачи!"

* * *

><p>"Two more of them are down," said Maya, as she walked into the lab.<p>

"Great," Ritsuko said absently.

She was busy going over the two new programs she'd written with a fine toothed comb, making sure there were no mistakes. Even a tiny error would doom them all, and the angling of the shield Asuka projected had to be flawless. She stopped and took in a deep breath. There was nothing else to do, it was now or never. She typed in the command to load the program and stood up, ready to head up to the control room above the cages to monitor everything personally.

Maya was standing in her way. "Ritsuko?"

Ritsuko sighed. "What is it?"

"I, um, before we go, I know that we, uh, well, if things go wrong, we-"

Ritsuko stared at her, and her breath formed into a lump in her throat. She felt it all, the weight of about four hours of sleep in two days, the pressure of designing a program for a function no one had ever imagined for the most complicated weapons system on earth, the stress of figuring out how to mash together two completely different artillery pieces into something functional that wouldn't blow up in Rei's face and kill them all. On top of that, there was the folder full of data on her desk and the consequences if Gendo ever learned she'd been reducing the dosages on Rei's medications.

A tiny voice whispered. _You're better than you think you are._

"Fuck it," said Ritsuko.

"Excuse _mmmph!"_ Maya's chirping confusion was cut off as Ritsuko stepped in, batted the folder she held out of the way, and kissed her. Maya went stone still for a moment and then melted against her, dipping slightly under her taller mentor to slid her arms around Ritsuko's waist.

Ritsuko pulled back. "When this is over we'll take it nice and slow. I just wanted to make my intentions clear."

"Consider them clarified," Maya said, breathily. "We should, um, downstairs, the Evas and things are-"

"Right," said Ritsuko, scooping up a cold cup of coffee to gulp the rest of it down. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Rei walked Unit Zero into position, carefully threading her umbilical behind her so that, if she was forced to move, she could quickly cover ground without getting tangled up and losing her power supply. Mounted in the armaments building was her new weapon, a hastily assembled combination of palette rifle and positron sniper cannon, the body of the later with the targeting system for the other. The entire program had to be rewritten to compensate for the ballistic characteristics of the projectile, and she would only have one shot- her target would be moving so fast that she'd be dead by the time she realized she missed.<p>

Captain Katsuragi appeared in her vision. By the icon at the bottom of her image, she knew that Asuka, kneeling in Unit One at the other end of the city at the limit of her cable, could see the Captain as well. She looked haggard, distracted, her eyes darkened by black circles and reddened. Rei remained silent.

"We have good news. The angel dropped five projectiles, over the Atlantic, the Ukraine, the Ural Mountains, Mongolia and the Sea of Japan. They're all down. The angel has entered its final approach. It's looped around the Earth, caught the gravity well, and will arrive here in twenty minutes. I need you both in position and committed."

Asuka appeared in front of Rei. "I'm ready."

"I am in position," said Rei. "I am testing my reticle now."

She brought the gun up, aimed it into space, and waited for the heads up display to appear. She didn't actually have to look through the scope, only bring it up for the MAGI to begin calculating the trajectory that the shot would take.

Doctor Akagi appeared on her screen. "Rei, I'm running the test now. This may feel a little weird. It's a little different from the normal program, but you'll adjust. Just stay quiet and focused."

Rei blinked. Why would Akagi instruct her to remain quiet. She did not normally-

She jerked forward in her seat, and the gun dipped. She felt something, reaching for her through the Eva. She felt her synchronization fuzz as a moment of panic seized her in a cold grip, terrified she was going to lose control of the Eva again. Instead, she realized what she was feeling was a third presence- huge and powerful, a mind utterly unlike the Eva, like three disparate voices crying out to each other. As she felt herself synchronizing with it, the voices quieted, and somehow, united, and then there was only Rei again.

She felt much _larger._

"Rei? How is it?"

"Processing," said Rei, without quite understanding why she chose that word. "I am compensating. Yes, I am ready."

She lifted the gun, and she knew where the reticle would be- actually seeing it projected on her vision almost seemed superfluous. The feeling was profound, heady, she began to lose herself in it.

"How do you feel?"

"Whole," Rei whispered.

* * *

><p>Kensuke huddled against the cold wall of the shelter, breathing into his chest. He had his stupid Superman shirt on, just like Toji told him to, but he didn't feel brave. As a matter of fact, he was scared shitless and felt embarrassed to be sitting next to the other boy, who leaned against the wall and stared off, sort of vacantly. Hikari was sitting next to him, pressing up against him.<p>

"I heard it's bad this time," she said, softly. "Tomoe says there's some kind of meteor or something coming down on us."

"Superman will save us," said Toji, his quiet conviction so absolute that Kensuke actually believe him for a second.

Hikari swallowed. "What if he doesn't?"

"He _will," _said Toji, almost angrily. "I know he will. Superman can do anything."

Hikari nodded, but Kensuke could see tears welling up around her eyes. "If we… if he doesn't… if we don't make it," she started, gasping for breath.

Toji put his arm around her shoulder, and their fingers intertwined. "Will you go out with me?"

She nodded heavily, and pushed her head into his chest. "I hope my sisters are okay."

"They'll be fine," said Toji.

Kensuke sniffed a little and slid away from them, against the wall. He leaned his head against the cold stone and closed his eyes to force the tears back. He tried to call his dad, but he was probably at work at Nerv and didn't answer. He pulled out his phone and glanced at it, anyway. Reception was always touch and go down here, and he'd be lucky to get a text out. He ran his thumb down the smooth side of his phone. When it buzzed, he almost dropped it.

He had a text message. There was something wrong with the number- he didn't recognize it, he realized that some of the numbers weren't supposed to be read as numbers, but as letters.

Br41n14c.

"Are you there?" it said.

He typed "Yes" and hit reply.

"I am your friend?"

Confused, he typed "Yes".

"Everything will be alright."

"What" he typed, but there was no reply.

* * *

><p>Asuka stood up. Unit One took up a position on the other side of a low rise, feet buried in the ground as if she were about to sprint. Akagi's program projected the oncoming path of the angel, though she couldn't see it yet. She could see a view of the bridge, where Misato was pacing back and forth. Mentally, she moved the view to the corner of her eye to better focus on her target, and leaned back into her seat.<p>

"We're shutting down the power grid in five minutes," said Misato. "We're going to lose all but basic communications."

"Roger," said Rei.

"Yeah," said Asuka. "The program-"

"We're keeping those systems up and connected. It's all on you two."

Asuka felt a pressure behind her eyes. "Misato."

"Yes, Asuka?"

"It's been an honor."

Misato blinked. "Th-thank you."

"Do you… Superman. Do you know where he is?"

"We lost him on radar a while back," Misato said absently, looking around. "He stopped the one from coming down on the Chinese mainland and he just sort of disappeared."

"I just," she said, "I need to know…"

Misato looked down and confused. "What the hell?"

"What is it?"

"Your synch ratio just topped eighty percent, Asuka."

"Yeah," said Asuka, thickly, "I'm thrilled. How much time to do we have?"

"Blackout in three minutes."

"I wish I could make a phone call from an Eva," said Asuka.

"I can arrange that," Rei said, softly. Asuka blinked. She realized it was on a private channel- Misato couldn't hear.

"Can you cut me off from the bridge for a minute? I need some privacy before the blackout."

"Okay," said Misato. "You've got about two and a half minutes," and she vanished.

"Rei," said Asuka. "Do it."

She was shocked to hear a phone ringing- it seemed to come from everywhere. It rang twice, and went over to the voicemail. "Hello, this is Shinji Ikari. You can leave a message for me at the tone."

Asuka sucked in a breath. How much time did she have?

"Listen, Shinji, I can't believe I'm doing this, but… this is stupid, I can't do this he won't even hear me if-"

Rei's voice was very calm, and very quiet. "It is not stupid."

Asuka took a deep breath of LCL, ignoring the taste. "You make me happy, Shinji Ikari. I… I think I… " she took another breath to force it out. "I love you."

"The blackout is beginning," said Rei.

Asuka barely heard her. The Evangelion jerked, and she felt something curious in her chest- like her heartbeat had suddenly doubled, her own heart followed by some kind of echo, bigger and more powerful. It came again, the whole Eva shuddering with it, a thunderous sound, and she felt more in tune with than ever. She was beginning to forget where her own body began and the Eva's ended. When she looked up at the sky, she just saw it- she had to concentrate to remember that the controls and the walls of the plug were there at all.

A second sun appeared in her sight. The reticle unfolded.

"Unfolding AT-Field," she said, to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>Shinji flew. It was easier to move at speed through the thinner air of the upper atmosphere, so he chased the angel there. Chased it wasn't precisely the right word, as he was moving so quickly that he had no choice but to intercept it, move perpendicular to it and try to guess its path. Through the superheated plasma envelope that swirled around it, he could see its form- a great writhing mass, the central core buried deep within. As it moved, it unfolded, the back extending off into space, writhing and shaping itself into some new form.<p>

He turned his head and saw Unit One far below. Rei was in Unit Zero far behind her, positioned with her rifle propped up. She had a new gun, he saw, but it looked like a palette rifle with a scope on it, whatever that meant. He turned, feeling the air warp and twist around him. He had to get in front of it, it was going too fast. His suit was ripped in a dozen places and his cape was hanging off by one shoulder, and his head was pounding.

Rei fired.

He watched the slug, actually a trail of three slugs, zip over Asuka's head, red hot from their own speed. They moved with agonizing slowness compared to the angel itself. He bit his lip and would have crossed his fingers as he watched the projectiles move towards the incredible bulk of the angel, moving in a slight arc. They hit, and he refocused his gaze to see through the creature's body, watching as they tumbled end over end through it. Two of them missed, but the third struck true, split the core, and shattered it.

By then, it was too late. Just as the third projectile was about to strike, the core lit like a tin star and pumped a massive plume of energy from the rear of the angel's body. It lurched in the air as accelerated further, the superheated air around its forward face so hot that it was blazing white, almost ready for the trace hydrogen in the air to begin fusing.

He didn't have a choice.

He was going to have to catch it.

He dove for it. He put himself in the angel's path, hooked his feet in the air, and got ready. The heat washed over him in a wave that ripped the air out of his lungs and brought out an instant coating of sweat from his skin, which in turn evaporated so fast it may as well never have been there at all, chilling him. His cape ignited, turned to dust, and blew away on the wind as the layer of modified plugsuit over his chest divided and opened up.

All he felt was it hitting him.

The angel's bulk smashed him out of his position, turned him around backwards, and plastered him to the surface. It was dead, the core was shattered, but physics had taken over, and there was no stopping it now. He saw Unit One standing fast, and the biggest AT-field he'd ever seen unfolded before her, so strong it was visible, a series of interlocking hexagons of solid orange light, layered one over another in a column that extended up miles into the sky. He could see the Eva straining, fists clenched, to produce the field, and there was smoke rising from the umbilical.

He saw the angle of the shield she was making, and realized what they were trying to do, but it was too fast. He was going to have to bleed off some speed.

He tried to turn but couldn't, the air pressure was too much. So he pitched his head forward until he could kick his legs out, balancing the gigantic mass on his shoulders. He put his arms up and buried his hands in the fleshy shell of the angel, and pushed as he had never pushed before.

The air under him warped, _bent_ somehow as he pushed against it, and he clenched his teeth only long enough to start screaming with fury. Imperceptibly, impossibly, the angel's dead form started to slow. He could feel it, just barely at first, and then more and more. With no life in it, it had no way of pushing back against him.

Tiny white points floated in his vision. He was starting to slide across the surface, and he began to realize he wasn't slowing it anymore. For a bare second, the world went black, and when he opened his eyes again, he was tumbling through the air over Japan. He thought he saw the impact, but he might have imagined it. The angel's body hit the first pane of Asuka's AT-Field, seemed to roll a little, and simply crashed through it. She adjusted, somehow, and extended her field, making it not long but wide, forming it into a sort of track. The angel didn't stop but deflected, and as he closed his eyes, its roiling mass was surging back up into the atmosphere, back out towards space.

He closed his eyes as the concrete roof of a building rushed up to meet him.

* * *

><p>Misato stood on the bridge, dumbstruck. She had an awareness of what she'd just seen, but the realization of it, the full weight of what she'd just watched through the Evas' gun cameras, the only source of a feed during the blackout, took a moment to sink in. She wasn't alone. The entire room was hushed. It was the return of the lights, the heavy thunk as the power came back up to the secondary systems and climate control and lights that did it.<p>

She'd never heard so much cheering in her life. Hyuga and Aoba jumped up and hugged each other, and then quietly sat down, looking terrible embarrassed. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Fuyutski leaning over the commander's desk, looking as if he was about to throw up. Even the Commander had leaned back in his seat, visible relief on his face.

"Hey!" Hyuga cried over the din.

Misato raised her arms and motioned for quiet. She had an unease building in gut, a creeping coldness that had moved to her spine and was working its way up.

"What now?"

Hyuga swallowed, hard. "We have a problem. The seismographs picked up movement around Mount Asama and… the MAGI have confirmed another blue pattern. It's tunneling towards us right now."

Misato took a deep breath. "Get me a map, and do it now. Put the pilots on."

Asuka and Rei appeared on screen. Rei was calm, almost dreamy. Asuka had the most precious, grinning look of triumph on her face. It sank into a frown when she saw Misato's look and registered it.

"What is it? What happened?"

"There's another angel."

"Yes," said Rei. "From Mount Asama."

Misato blinked. How did she… "That's right. It appears to be burrowing underground."

"Projections are coming up now," said Hyuga. "It's about seventy or eighty meters underground, skimming along the bedrock. When it gets here, it's going to emerge from the inner wall of the Geofront."

"Okay," said Misato. "We don't have time to come up with a way to force it to surface. I want you both to get to the elevators and get back down here so we can set up a defensive position."

"Captain," said Aoba, "there's more. If this project path is correct, it's going to go through two of the shelters."

Misato paled. "Oh my God, how many-"

"Two thousand, including the kids from the high school."

"Oh my God," said Misato, "Get them on the line _now, _tell them we need to evacuate."

Rei was apparently still listening. "That will not be fast enough. We will need help."

"What?" said Misato.

* * *

><p>Shinji opened his eyes, but lazily. His whole body hurt, especially his hands. When he held them in front of his eyes, they were raw and bleeding, and he realized what he was feeling was pain. The sensation was so unfamiliar it took him a moment to realize that pain really hurt. A lot.<p>

He groaned. Something huge pushed against his side, and he sat up.

Unit Zero was standing in the street, crouched over the building where he'd landed, that is, made a crater of the roof, nudging him with one gigantic finger. Rei's voice boomed through the external speakers.

"There is another angel approaching."

"What?" he said, blearily. "You gotta be kidding me."

"I must return to the Geofront. It is tunneling towards the city now, and will breach some of the shelters."

He stood up, stumbling a bit. "Where?"

"Near the high school."

"Thank you," he said.

He ran to the edge of the roof, took off, and very nearly clipped the roof of the next building before he strained back up into the air. He felt like there were iron weights dragging him down, pulling him back to earth by his feet. He could see the high school, and willed himself towards it, fighting to remain steady. His vision was beginning to spin as he landed, and he took a moment to stand up and just soak in the sun through his exposed skin, breathing deep as he did.

He could hear the angel coming, a deep rumbling under the ground, and he felt it pouring up his legs through the soles of his feet. He ran alongside the school to the shelter doors, tore them up, and dashed down the stairs. The main blast door was down. He wedged his fingers under it, grunted, and forced it back up. He heard a sudden surge of panic behind the door as he stumbled inside.

"_Superman?"_

It was Toji. Shinji blinked, he had to keep his head, remember not to give anything away. He was so _tired._

"Get out," he said, "Everybody out, there's an angel-"

But the shelter," said Hikari, "we-"

"Underground," he panted, "Break the walls, have to get out."

Toji worked himself under Shinji's arm and helped him stand.

"No," said Shinji. "I have to warn, warn the others-"

"You're not going by yourself," said Toji. "We've got your back."

Hikari turned around. "Come on, everybody out! Out now! Let's go!"

"Not north or south," said Shinji. "East or west, hurry."

Toji and Kensuke held him under the arms until he was back out in daylight again. He leaned on his knees and breathed in, and every breath hurt. He touched his side, and a sudden lance of pain ran up his body, forcing a gasp from his throat.

"You need to rest or something, man," said Toji.

"I can't," was all he managed. He sank to his knees again.

More boys crowded around him, and he felt arms around his legs, working under his sides. They were picking him up. Toji was barking orders at people in blue t-shirts, while Hikari had gathered a group of girls in pink ones, pointing and gesturing them as they nodded vigorously. Shinji's eyes drooped closed.

He forced them open again, and gestured for them to put him down.

"Come on, man," said Toji. "You're falling apart."

"I have to," he said as they lowered him onto his feet.

He did feel his strength returning, surging back, it seemed through his skin. He forced himself to stand up. He turned, and though it was blurry, he could see the angel moving through the earth, dragging itself forward with great sweeping motions of mandible-like arms, great and furry like a tick's leg. Each one of them was burning its way through the ground itself, melting it into a trail of molten rock that ran behind it.

That was important, somehow, he just didn't know why, not yet. He had to think, but everthing was fuzzy, spinning. His head hurt. He realized he was walking, and he wasn't alone. He stumbled, and Toji moved to hold him up, but he shook loose and did it on his own. He could see the entrance to the other shelter he had to clear, and started towards it.

Toji stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Go, we've got this."

Shinji shook his head and started jogging. He knew he could run if he pushed it but he didn't try. He made it down the steps to the shelter, yanked the blast door up with a grunt that was more from pain than exertion, and stumbled inside. He was greeted by frightened faces.

"We have to go," he said, his voice booming through the shelter. "We have to go, now."

* * *

><p>"The shelters," Asuka demanded, staring into Misato's two-dimensional face projected before her. "Shinji's there, he-"<p>

"Superman is there," said Misato, standing up from her console. "He's evacuating them."

Asuka relaxed in her seat, and for a moment feared she would slip out of it, before she shook her head to clear the cobwebs. She had to focus. "How much time do we have?"

"I don't know," said Misato.

Asuka stomped across the floor of the Geofront, feeling oddly dwarfed by the great shape of the pyramid and the blast shield that rose up around it. Rei was leaning rocket launchers against the armored wall, and had set up four palette rifles and a pile of the huge magazines in neat stacks. Asuka picked up a pair of the rifles and slung them under her arms, working Unit One's armored hands around the grips until she was sure they were secure.

"Set up a defensive position behind the shield wall," said Misato.

"What's the plan?" said Asuka.

"Shoot it," said Misato.

"Shoot it," said Asuka, closing her eyes. "That's your whole plan. Shoot it."

"Look, I'm tapped out. You want to hop out of there and calculus up a plan, knock yourself out."

"What is the ETA?" said Rei.

"We've got maybe ten minutes," said Misato. "It's going to hit the shelters any minute."

Rei dutifully continued stacking weapons while Asuka held up her rifles and scanned the walls of the Geofront, expecting a breach through the vast curvatures of smoothly cut rock at any moment. The city over their heads was in full alert mode, dangling down beneath the mirror system. Asuka closed her eyes, and though she wanted to feel tired, she couldn't.

"What's my synch ratio?"

"Really," said Misato. "You're asking me this now."

"Tell me."

Misato sighed. "Don't let this go to your head. Currently reading eight-nine."

"Currently?"

"Can we talk about this later?"

Asuka sighed, and pressed her eyes closed again. She was about to ask how much longer she would have to wait when she felt it, or rather, the Eva felt it, and passed it on to her. A deep rumbling shook the ground beneath her feet, and she felt it running up the Eva's shins. She readied herself, and Rei picked up the now scope-less positron rifle, working a fuse into the bolt.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"I believe the term is 'eyeball it'," said Rei.

"Get ready," said Misato.

It began as a great ripping sound. The glittering tram lines that ringed the interior of the cavern fell away, twisting and bending in the air like ribbons as they tore free of their moorings and tumbled down. A mound of earth pushed in, cracking the inner surface of the rock, and a torrent of loose mud flowed in, spreading quickly across the forested floor of the cavern. Behind it, moving like thick clay, came a rolling fountain of dull red rock.

The angel moved within the great mass, reaching out with long feelers studded with thin hairs that held clumps of still-hot rock to it, like an armored shell. It dragged its main body out into the open and Asuka felt her stomach turned. It gathered the most disgusting features of a spider, a roach, and some sort of deep sea arthropod. It slid out of the wall, pulling itself forward with its great feelers while thousands of tiny legs worked along its back, scratching feebly at the ground.

"Shoot it," Asuka shouted, "Shoot it!"

Rei opened up, firing a blast from her sniper rifle that rolled her upper body back. Her shot skimmed along the angel's back, digging a deep furrow in its armored body, and she leaned into the gun as she worked the bolt. Asuka readied both of her rifles and opened up on it, firing controlled bursts that gouged out enormous craters on its back. It began dragging itself forward, ignoring their fire, and folded its head under its body as it did, obscuring its beady black eyes.

Asuka's guns were tapped out. She dropped one, dropped the mag from the other, and mechanically knelt to pick up the next magazine. When it ran dry, she picked up another. When Rei's sniper rifle ran out of fuses, she knelt down and took Asuka's other rifle, keeping up the fire. When Asuka dropped her mag, she put the gun down and picked up one of the rocket launchers. It interfaced with the Eva's systems and a reticle appeared in her view.

Fires were spreading around the angel's body, the trees going up as flames licked at their needles and leaves, turning them into blackened sticks as it moved itself along, gradually building speed as it drug itself. Its body was beginning to sink into the ground, and the huge feelers were as much digging as they were dragging.

"You have to destroy it before it starts to burrow again," said Misato. "Once it gets underground, we have no way to dig it out."

She pulled the switch and the rocket pushed of the launch tube, rolling her back as step. It screamed across the Geofront at the tip of a thin streamer of smoke, and when it hit, the detonation was deafening in the confined space. The angel screamed and fell, pressing into the ground, and a great molten wound opened on its back.

"It's not bleeding," Asuka said absently.

"What?" said Misato.

"We're not hurting it. It's making itself a body out of rock, somehow. We're not going to do enough damage this way."

"So what do we-"

A blue streak passed her head. Unit One focused on it. Asuka's heart leapt into her throat. She'd never seen him look that banged up anymore. He looked at the angel as he hung in the air in front of her face, glancing between her and Rei. Asuka thumbed the switch for her external speakers.

"It's rebuilding with rock. We're not going to damage it enough to keep it from burrowing into Dogma."

He looked at her, looked at the angel, and then spun in a lazy circle. He bobbed in the air, as if he was having a hard time keeping aloft. Without a word, he turned and headed for the underground lake.

"What the hell is he-"

Hovering maybe fifty feet over the lake, he reared up, and breathed. For a moment she thought it was her imagination, but she saw the trees, even the burnt ones, leaning in towards the center of the cavern as air rolled over the grass and agricultural fields in waves. With a heavy whump, the fires went out, their oxygen extinguished. Finally, he closed his mouth, chest proud, and all in motion, bent down and blew it back out.

The lake rushed away from him, a great wave rising from where he hovered over it, but the water couldn't escape the cold from the super-compressed air. It went solid, great crystal spears of ice rising over the edges of the lake. Asuka's eyes widened.

"Rei, come on," she shouted, dropping the launch tube.

"I see your plan," said Rei, following her.

The angel ignored them, continuing to burrow into the ground. It had sunk half way in, and red-hot glow surrounded it where the earth melted and formed into a single solid, soft mass. Asuka looked down at the ice, and back at the angel.

"Unfold your field under it. We need to pick it up."

"This is insane," said Misato.

"It beats 'shoot it'," said Asuka.

Asuka relaxed, and let the field unfold in front of her. She slid Unit One's arms under the ice, which was already cracking and starting to melt. She looked across the lake at Rei. The fields they unfolded wouldn't cover the entire surface area, but a long chunk of ice started to lift up. Asuka urged the Eva forward and Rei did the same, until they were under it. The middle of the ice sheet began to buckle, until Superman pushed himself under it, pressing his back into it to keep it from falling.

"Okay," said Asuka, "On three, run over and dump this thing on it."

Rei nodded, and Asuka counted down. On "Three!" she charged, Rei falling just a split second behind. She could feel the ice cracking, hear it singing in a voice made of rumbling, tearing sounds. She pushed, grunted, and lifted the ice up as high as she could before bringing the whole mass down on top of the angel.

There was a scream, but it wasn't the creature, it was the sudden onrush of steam rolling over her. The temperature in the plug surged, and she felt pin-pricks of sweat forming on her forehead, then dissolving into the LCL. She shook her head and reached up to draw her prog knife.

The angel became a screaming, shuddering mass of solidified, shrunken rock. As it moved, she could see that most of its body was mere façade, cold and now unmoving. Only the feelers moved, blackened shards of stone crumbling from the hairy fibers as it feebly crawled at her. She stomped forward, yelped as her foot sunk into hot rock, and grabbed the feelers. Rei moved beside her, took a grip, and together they pulled.

The angel tore free, much smaller than it had originally appeared. A fleshy body, radiating such heat that it made the air shimmer, tore loose from the rock body, streaming thick orange streamers of melted rock like mucous behind it. Asuka pulled it free and twisted, lifting it and slamming it into the ground. She saw the core exposed on its underbelly, flecked with cooling bits of rock.

It gave a keening wail, and she reached and drew her prog knife. She took it in an overhand grip, lifted it in both hands, and brought it down with a satisfying crunch into the angel's core. It wailed, flailing is feelers feebly, and almost instantly cooled, streamers of smoke and steam rising from its limbs.

"I need a shower," Asuka groaned.

* * *

><p>Misato regretted the decision to drive home. She made it official when she left- she wasn't coming back until the next day. The damned reports could wait. She was so tired she thought she could just lie back and fall asleep right behind the wheel, and the docile handling of the rental car didn't help. She really needed to buy a new car, but she was going to need a raise for that. She half expect Asuka to fall asleep, but the girl was awake, leaning on the door, and furious staring at her phone. She'd called Shinji three times, and there was still no answer.<p>

"You really did silence me before the blackout, right?"

"Yes," said Misato. "No one heard you swear your undying love, I promise."

"Good, I- hey, wait!"

Misato grinned a cheshire cat grin. "I'm not stupid. I just want to know how the hell Rei figured out how to use the Evas to make a phone call. Don't worry, no one eavesdropped on you."

One of good things going was the lack of traffic. Misato ignored half of the red lights, slowing to make sure no one was coming before powering on through the intersections. She needed a shower, and she needed some sleep. It took a minute to dawn on her that she would have added beer to that list not long ago, but it didn't come naturally anymore. She almost had to remind herself.

Asuka lifted her phone and dialed again, holding it to her ear. Misato could see the tension in her face, but said nothing. Asuka bit her lip, and then started tugging at her lip with her finger while she waited. Misato heard it click over to the voice mail, and Asuka nearly threw her pone down onto the floor.

"Why doesn't he answer?"

"Maybe something happened to his phone during the evacuation," said Misato. "I checked, no one was hurt in the shelters."

Misato made the turn towards the apartment complex. There was a light on in the apartment.

"See," said Misato, "He dropped his phone or lost it in the commotion or something. He's fine."

Asuka still looked tense, and Misato couldn't blame her. For all she might say otherwise, Misato was worried, too. It was unlike him not to just show up at headquarters after the fight, or call, or something. He was probably up there apologetically cooking dinner for them. Misato yawned as she rolled into the parking lot.

"The balcony door is open," said Asuka. There's… there's something on the door."

Misato threw the car into park, wrenched the key out of the ignition, and half fell out the door, Asuka moving in the same rush. Misato chased after her. The security detail hadn't caught up yet, it was dangerous to just go running into the building. Misato caught another glimpse of the balcony as she ran up the stairs. The mark on the door looked a lot like a smear of blood.

Asuka stopped at the door, pounding on it with her fists. Misato ran her card through the reader and Asuka almost fell through it. Misato tried to steady her, but the girl wrenched out of her grip, ignored the elevator, and ran for the stairs. Misato kicked off her heels and followed, huffing and puffing as she chased her up the three flights.

The outer door to the apartment was undisturbed, and in the hallway, nothing was amiss. Asuka typed in the code and the door slid open, and she ran inside, or tried to. Misato finally got her arms around her and pulled her back.

"Let me go!" Asuka shouted, flailing.

She went quiet when Misato drew her pistol.

Asuka followed quietly behind her. Misato ducked to check the hall closet, kept her gun on the corners as she moved into the living room, watching the kitchen. She stopped at the edge of the living room carpet. The door was hanging open, and there was a smear of red along the floor. The couch had been spun around, as if something heavy had hit it, leaving deep scuffs in the carpeting. Misato swallowed as she saw Shinji's backpack resting against the wall, the contents spilled, and lowered her gun.

She walked around the couch, and Asuka followed. When she saw, a cold ball formed in her stomach. It took a moment to process what she was seeing. He'd opened the door, fallen to his knees, and dumped his stuff. Shinji crawled to the couch and hit it so hard it spun it around as he flopped on it. He lay there still, breathing shallowly, eyes closed, his head resting on the arm. A dull understanding fell over Misato, and she dropped her gun to the floor.

Shinji was lying on the couch, stripped to the waist. It looked like he'd torn the scraps of the upper part of his uniform off, but it was unmistakable. The emblem, even torn to shreds, was unmistakable, as it lay on the floor. Part of her did not want to understand, but when she saw his glasses hanging feebly from one hand, she gave in to it. She didn't remember falling to her knees.

Asuka crawled up to him and put her hand on his cheek, then on his neck, feeling for a pulse. "Oh God," she said, over and over again, until her voice faded to a whisper. "Oh Gott, nicht zu sterben. Bitte nicht sterben. Ich brauche dich. Bitte."

His breathing got a little deeper, his chest heaving from effort. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

* * *

><p>You have been reading<p>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter Eleven: And His Name was Wormwood_


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Ritsuko awoke with a start, so attuned to the buzzing of her silenced phone that she felt it through the bed. She'd simply collapsed there, not even bothering to fold the sheets down, in her clothes, her labcoat piled at her feet. She let the phone ring and started to drift back off to sleep, so tired that the effort of keeping her eyes open alone was enough to make her yawn. Just when she was drifting out of consciousness, it start buzzing again.<p>

Without rising, she put it to her ear. "What."

"Ritsuko," Misato said, her voice high and strained. "It's me, listen, I need you to come over."

"Why?" she groaned, slapping her hand over her eyes.

"I can't say over the phone. It's really important. Please."

Ritsuko lifted her head from the pillow. It felt li her skull was full of cement. "Huh?"

"Please," Misato said again, and hung up.

With great effort, she got up on her elbows, blew out a breath, and fell back down again. She ran her fingers through her close-cropped hair, and it felt like she'd smeared Crisco in it before going to sleep. She managed to sort of half-roll to the side of the bed, her legs slid off the edge, and the jolt was enough to wake her up sufficiently to get on her feet, albeit shakily. She leaned on the wall for a minute and glanced at the clock by the bed. She'd been asleep for less than two hours.

"Damn it," she muttered.

Whatever Misato wanted, it sounded important, and she was already dressed, so she skipped the shower. She swirled some mouthwash, spat it in the kitchen sink, and headed out the door in a pair of slippers, not trusting herself on heels. She downed a can of coffee to wake herself up as she jogged down the stairs. When she stepped outside into the warm evening air, she felt a distinct chill that turned into a prickle on the back of her neck, as from being watched. She looked around, saw no one, and slid into her car.

She had to keep her head off the headrest, or the sinking feeling of near slumber would overwhelm her and drag her eyelids down. The streets were still mostly deserted following the lockdown, so it was a quick trip across town to Misato's building. She pulled into the lot, threw her door open, and stood up, still feeling out of sorts. She happened to glance up at Misato's balcony, and a shiver ran up her spine. It looked like there was blood on the door. The glass parted, and Asuka ran out, leaning over the balcony, and waved at her. When Ritsuko got to the door, it buzzed open and she pushed the button for the elevator, thought better of it, and headed for the stairs.

Asuka was standing in the hallway when Ritsuko hit the landing. The chill she felt became a creeping sense of unease, twisting at her shoulders. The girl looked like she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and bloodshot and her cheeks were raw, and she was biting her lower lip furiously. She looked around and rubbed her arms, as if against a chill.

"What's wrong?"

Asuka didn't respond. She grabbed Ritsuko's hand and half-dragged her into the apartment. In her dulled state, brought on by fatigue and the after effects of eight hours of stress and caffeine binging, it took her a moment to process what she was seeing. It was _him._

She pulled out of Asuka's grasp and ran around to the side of the couch, crouching beside the boy's neck. She checked his pulse first. It was weak, but it was there. His breathing was shallow, and even though unconscious, he seemed to wince every few breaths as he struggled to take in a deeper gasp of air. Livid bruises had formed around his eyes, and his hands were raw. He had a dozen small cuts across his chest and sides, and from the tenderness, he probably had a broken rib.

"Why did he come here?" said Ritsuko.

Misato, trembling at the foot of the couch, looked down. Ritsuko followed her gaze until she saw the pair of glasses that had dropped out of his left hand.

"He… Shinji is _Superman?_"

Misato just worked her mouth silently. She was shaking, hugging herself, and her cheeks glittered with tears.

"Misato, get a grip," said Ritsuko. "I need to get him off the couch. We need to lay him out flat. You have to help me."

Misato nodded and stood up. Ritsuko worked her arms under his shoulders, carefully supporting his head against her own, while Misato took his legs. Together, they brought him to rest on a sheet spread out on the carpet. Misato darted off and came back with a pillow, and slid it under his head. He mumbled something, but didn't open his eyes. Ritsuko gently probed his side. He definitely had a broken rib.

"Help me get his pants off. I need to see if he has any other injuries. Do you have a first aid kit?"

Silently, Misato ran to the bathroom and came back with a white box and a pair of scissors. Ritsuko took the scissors, worked them under the fabric of his uniform, and tried to cut, but the blades simply slid against the fabric. She grunted and pulled on it until it was a bit further from his skin, and suddenly it cut easily, dividing simply from being pulled.

"What the hell?" said Misato.

"He must generate some kind of protective field around his body," Ritsuko said, absently.

Once the separation started, it was easy to get him stripped to his underwear. She went over his legs carefully. He was bruised, but he didn't seem to have any broken bones. Now that he was lying flat, he seemed to breathe a little easier. He shook his head slightly and whispered something.

"Shinji?" said Ritsuko. "Can you hear me?"

He didn't respond.

"He might have a concussion, or worse."

"What do we do?" said Misato, her voice high and tight like a little girl's. "Should we go to a hospital?"

Ritsuko frowned. "Probably not. He's not _human_. I'm probably the only doctor in the world that knows anything about his physiology. "

Misato didn't ask how, thankfully. "What do we do?"

"Grab the sides of the sheet and help me get him as close to the window as possible. He needs sunlight."

Misato looked at her in confusion, but didn't argue. Together, they moved him to where the last fading patch of sunlight fell on the carpet. He shifted slightly, but still didn't wake, and his eyes were too swollen to open, anyway. Misato sat down beside him and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I still can't believe it?"

"That it was him all this time?"

"That I didn't see it before."

Ritsuko sighed. "We need to disinfect and bandage these cuts. His immune system should be incredible, but I don't want to take any risks. We could use a third pair of hands."

"Asuka," Misato called, "Asuka, come… here…"

"Shit," Ritsuko said under her breath.

* * *

><p>Asuka ran.<p>

The pavement stung her bare feet, but she ran anyway, arms flailing at her sides, her eyes stinging and blurred so that she feared she might fall. She didn't even know where she was running, only that she had to get away, to get out, to escape that stifling apartment where icy fear seized her and hot rage boiled in her stomach by turns. As fast as she ran, the inescapable thought was just behind her, peering over her shoulder, daring her to go faster. It boomed in her head and thundered in her veins with every pulse of her heart, like an electric fire in her chest that spread to her fingertips.

_He lied to me_.

When she finally stopped, she leaned against the wall of a flower shop and looked around. The city was still mostly deserted, the great exodus from the shelters still underway. She glanced at the street sign and took a moment to get her bearings, and then started running for the residential district near the school. Her feet were bundles of agony but she pressed on, swinging her arms in wild arcs as if the momentum would keep her moving.

Hikari's house was a small thing, an artifact of the post-Impact world where space was no longer at a premium. She ran up the sidewalk and around the back steps, to the door that led into the kitchen, and hit it so hard she almost fell back down. She pounded on the door with her balled fists, in between wiping at her face with the back of her arm, making her skin sticky with sweat, tears, and snot.

"Hikari!" she screamed, yanking on the doorknob. "Hikari, answer me!"

Of course, she wasn't home yet. The house was dark and silent as a grave. She trotted down the steps and turned around in Hikari's little back yard, transfixed by the little sand pit where her sister played and the quintet of bicycles bound to the fence. All around her were empty houses like mausoleums in an ancient lichyard, and between them silence rolled like thunder announcing a hard rain, and in the silence, a tiny voice whispered.

_Die with me, Asuka_

She started running again, without direction, running just for the sake of it, so the jarring pounding of her feet against the pavement and the wind rushing in her ears and her own pulse throbbing in her throat would ease the silence and chase the voices back into oblivion where they belonged, and yet still they chased her, the falling weight of it dragging on her shoulders and making her stumble.

She stopped in the middle of the street and a sob, white hot and thick, erupted from her throat. Tears stung her cheeks like the strike of a whip, and she let out a long, blubbering wail for Shinji and the promise he broke and the promises she was breaking right now. She scrubbed her face cleaned and ground her teeth and willed herself to stop crying, but the tears flowed on until they dripped from her chin and patted softly on the front of her dress.

She got up and she kept moving, though she had to walk, now. Her chest burned and she was shivering despite the evening heat. She veered from the road back up onto the sidewalk. On the hill above, she saw the school, and started walking there.

Hikari. She needed to find Hikari. Hikari was kind. She would know what to do.

* * *

><p>As Kaji keyed the door to his small flat, his phone rang. He pushed the door open, checked the screen, and put it to is ear.<p>

"Katsuragi? What-"

"It's Asuka," Ritsuko said sharply, "She's missing."

"What? Why?"

"I can't say over the phone. She… look, something happened. It's complicated. We need to find her and we need to find her now. Nerv can't know about this."

"What happened?"

Ritsuko sucked in a breath. "It's… something happened to Shinji."

Kaji hung up and darted into the apartment, pushing the door behind him closed with his foot. He ran to the closet, threw the door back, and shoved aside a rack of dress shirts. He felt along the back wall until he found the niche, worked his fingers into it, and pulled. The wall came loose with a low thump, and he pulled it free and set it up against the closet door. From within the compartment, he drew a long, low metal case secured with a series of latches, and opened it out onto the floor.

His shirt came off, and he drew out the black compression polypropylene shirt from the case and pulled it on. The rest of his gear was on a heavy belt supported by shoulder straps. He shrugged into it and clipped it around his waist, then pulled the shirt back on, letting it hang loosely around him like a jacket. He picked up the silenced pistol he kept in the case, loaded it, checked the safety, and stuck it in a waistband holster at the small of his back, and artlessly shoved the case back into the cubbyhole and ran out the door, fumbling to lock it behind him while he buttoned his dress shirt back up with his other hand.

He took the steps down to the parking lot two at a time, ran across the asphalt, and jumped in the car. As fired up the Lotus and backed out of his space, he dialed Misato's number, set the phone to speaker, and threw it on the seat beside him.

It rang twice, and Ritsuko answered. "You hung up on me-"

"Be mad later," said Kaji. "Tell me where she would go."

"I have no idea," Ritsuko growled, "Look, we're in trouble here, I-"

"Put Katsuragi on."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Do it, damn it."

He heard a muffled conversation and Misato came on. "What," she said, thickly.

"Katsuragi, I need to know where Asuka would go if she ran away."

"I don't know," Misato wailed, "I don't know what to do. I can't, I-"

"Shut up," Kaji said, sharply. "You can handle an angel falling out of the sky, you can handle this. _Tell me where she would go." _

"Her friend, maybe," said Misato, after clearing her throat roughly. "Hikari… Horaki, I think it is, I-"

"Good," said Kaji, "I'll check there first."

"But you don't-"

He hit the button to end the call, reached over, and pulled down the glove box. Inside, he flicked the switch on his cobbled together computer system, tapped the voice search icon, and recited the girl's name. The computer spat back out an address and started giving him directions.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki buttoned his coat, slid the drawer containing his bottle of whisky closed, and headed for the door of his office. As he stepped outside, he was nearly bowled over by Goro Yoshida. The big man started to nudge him out of the way before Fuyutsuki clapped a hand on his shoulder.<p>

"What's going on?"

"Not your concern," said Yoshida, shrugging out of his grip.

"I am the second in command of this organization. It is my concern. Has there been a security breach?"

Yoshida stopped in the hallway without turning around. "The Second Child slipped her security detail and has gone missing. I'm going over to that worthless Katsuragi woman's apartment and find out what happened."

"You will do no such thing," Fuyutsuki said quietly.

"I have my orders."

"Your orders are to dedicate all your efforts to the search. Pointing fingers will only waste time. I will take care of the situation at the apartment myself."

Yoshida eyed him. "Whatever," he waved a hand, and stormed down the hall.

Fuyutsuki wanted desperately to slump against the wall. Instead, he pushed back into his office, kicked the door shut with his heel, and opened his drawer, feeling the underside for the secret compartment. Not long after he'd cast away his old .45, he realized what a mistake he may have made and quietly took a sleek modern pistol from the armory and started keeping it in his office. He pulled it out, checked it, and slipped it in his pocket. Among its many virtues was a polymer frame that made it easier to carry on his person. He made sure his drawers were locked and quickly headed out from his office.

The halls of Nerv were surprisingly deserted. After the intensity of the combat action, the world had gone quiet, and a skeleton crew now oversaw the operations of the base while most of the day crew was sleeping off the excitement. No one stopped the elevator, and he was in the parking garage in a few minutes. He walked past the row of staff cars, dismissing the drivers with a wave of his hand, and took one of the smaller, more discreet vehicles for himself, taking the key from a pegboard hanging near the exit.

Thankfully, the streets were mostly deserted. He took shortcuts, cut corners, and drove up a few one-way streets until Katsuragi's block was in sight. No one seemed to notice him pulling into the lot, and he looked around carefully as he exited the car, awkwardly slipping his hand in his pocket to grasp his gun. He rushed to the door, moved to buzz the apartment, and thought better of it. Instead, he entered his personal override, and the door popped open.

His knees protested as he took the stairs, disdaining the elevator. The hallway was deathly quiet, as it would be; Katsuragi had the entire floor to herself. He knocked on the door, waited, and knocked again. It slid open just a touch, and the Captain regarded him with a bloodshot eye.

"Sir?" she said. "Can I, um, help you?"

"I'm here to see Shinji."

She blinked. "Uh, he's not here, he's… out…"

Fuyutsuki sighed and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "How badly is he hurt?"

Katsuragi trembled. Gently, Fuyutsuki slid the door open himself and stepped inside, respectfully slipping out of his shoes. To his surprise, Akagi was there, leaning over the boy. He was heavily bandaged and she'd wrapped his ribs. His eyes were swollen shut and he was just lying there, breathing heavily. Akagi looked up at him, opened her mouth, and then closed it silently again without speaking.

"How long has he been out?"

"He said something to Asuka when we got home," said Misato.

"He's been unresponsive since then," said Akagi. "I don't know what I'm doing here. He's burning up."

Fuyutsuki knelt and touched Shinji's forehead with the back of his hand. He was indeed quite warm. "What's his temperature?"

"It was a hundred and one for a while, but it went down. I check it every fifteen minutes. If it goes over one-oh-one, we're taking him to a hospital."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "He hasn't responded at all."

"I didn't want to check his pupils with his eyes like that. This is beyond me. We should take him somewhere."

"We can't," said Katsuragi, half-falling onto the couch. "They'll experiment on him or dissect him or something."

Fuyutsuki and Akagi both stared at her. Akagi sighed and sat down on the floor.

"You know, she's right. We can't risk letting Seele get their hands on him," said Akagi.

"Who?" said Misato.

Fuyutsuki sighed and sat down beside her. "It isn't safe to talk here."

"This apartment isn't bugged," said Akagi. "I'd know."

Fuyutsuki shook his head. "I wouldn't risk it."

"Will you stay here?" said Katsuragi. "I have to go out and look for her."

"Watch out for Yoshida and his men," said Fuyutsuki. "They know she's missing and they're out looking for her."

Katsuragi headed for the door. "I have to find her first."

* * *

><p>The school <em>groaned<em>.

Asuka could see why. There was a great gouge in the earth, a low place where the angel pad passed underground and the soil above had collapsed into it. The shelter was demolished, the wall open and moaning in the high winds. There was a storm in the distance now, like a layer of gray stone hanging in the sky. The entire building creaked and groaned, and the section built over the shelter had simply fallen in.

She headed inside. The doors were unlocked, and swung open easily. The cold tile floor stung her feet, and made her quicken her pace. She walked down the hall and took the turn to the classroom she shared with Rei and Hikari and Toji and his goofus friend, and Shinji. She stopped at the door, put her hand on the door frame, and stared inside. The room was gone. She was standing on the edge of the rubble where the building had collapsed into the shelter. She leaned against the frame and just stood there for a while, staring out into the graying night.

She turned and walked out of the school. It was dark and she stood on the front steps, feet bleeding, wild-haired, tears running down her red cheeks like some ancient banshee. She almost stumbled a few times as she descended the steps, and finally sat down at the bottom, sniffing and hugging herself. It was rapidly getting dark, and there were no lights around the school. The power was probably out.

"Asuka?"

She looked up to find Toji and Kensuke standing near the foot of the steps, staring at her. She shifted away from them, hugging her arms around her shoulders.

"What do you want?"

"Are you okay?" said Toji. "What are you doing out here?"

Asuka said nothing. She turned her gaze to the cracked sidewalk and willed them to go away.

"Just leave me alone," she mumbled, leaning on her knees.

Toji squared himself up. "We can't do that. Superman would-"

"_Superman?"_ Asuka screamed. "Let me tell you about Superman. Superman is a showboating, lying, self-centered jackass! I _hate_ Superman! He ruins everything! Do you hear me? He ruins _everything!"_

Toji's jaw dropped. She didn't want for him to reply. She got up, and she ran, pumping her legs as hard as she could without looking back. She heard them half-heartedly run after him, then trot to a stop. Of course they would, they didn't care about her. No one really cared about her at all.

* * *

><p>Kaji pulled up to the Horaki house in a screech, his Lotus bucking forward on its front tires as he pushed the brake pedal to the floor and yanked the emergency brake into place. He jumped out of the car and ran up to the front door of the house, leaving the car door yawning after him. He darted up the front steps and pounded on the door with his fist.<p>

A heavyset man opened the door, looking bewildered behind round glasses. "Who are you?"

Kaji flashed his identification badge. "Is this the Horaki residence?"

"Inspector?" the man said, peering at the badge. "Is there some kind of a problem?"

"Is this the Horaki residence?" Kaji repeated, clenching his jaw.

"Yes, what do you-"

"Is Hikari here?"

"Yes, of course, we just came home from the evacuation, and-"

"I need to see her. Now."

The man, her father, presumably, blinked, and called for her. The girl trotted down the stairs in, believe it or not, pink footie pajamas covered with unicorns. She came up to the door, looking at Kaji in confusion through the screen. Kaji put his hands on his hips.

"Are you Mister Kaji?" said the girl. "Asuka talked about you, she-"

"Have you seen her?"

Hikari shook her head. "Wouldn't she be at Nerv or something?"

Kaji sighed. "Look, she's gone missing. I need you to call me right away if she comes here, even if she asks you not to. Can you do that for me?"

Hikari nodded, and he handed her his business card as she opened the screen door.

"Will she be okay?"

"If I have anything to do with it," said Kaji, turning to run back down the path to his car.

As he reached the sidewalk, he saw a caravan of Nerv SUVs rounding the corner, emergency lights flashing, and cursed himself. Asuka's relationship with Horaki must have been noted in her profile. He turned and half jogged up the steps.

"Hikari," he shouted at her, "Tell them the truth. Don't try to hide anything, they'll arrest you."

Her father reappeared at the door. "What's going on? Why is this happening to us?"

"I'm sorry," said Kaji. "I'll do everything I can for you, but I have to find her first."

Yoshida, the Nerv security chief, personally lumbered out of the first of the vans and started barreling towards Kaji as he made for his car. He undid the last two buttons of his shirt as the big man approached, just to be sure.

Yoshida loomed over him. "You're not going anywhere. You're under arrest."

Kaji looked him right in the eye. "I'm not under your jurisdiction."

Yoshida grabbed his arm. "You're coming with me."

"That's one," said Kaji, shrugging out of his grasp. He turned to leave.

Yoshida yanked his collar and turned him around. "I think I'll bring you up on charges for that concealed weapon."

Kaji brushed Yoshida's hand away. "That's two."

"You listen here, you little shit," Yoshida grabbed his collar. "I-"

"Three," said Kaji.

He swept his arms up between Yoshida's as he executed a small jump, giving himself some momentum. He brought his knee up into Yoshida's broad gut and flicked his calf out, hitting the bigger man's knee with a shin kick that knocked his feet out from under him. Yoshida scrambled forward, half falling, trying to grab at Kaji's arms, but he whirled out of the way and let him fall.

"Don't get up," said Kaji, and ducked into his car.

He started the engine and threw the car into gear, then roared into the street, rapidly working the shifter. He yanked the e-brake to scream around the first curve, dropped into a lower gear, and floored it. One of the clumsy SUVs was lumbering after him, but by the second turn, he lost it. He glanced at his phone, and saw a missing text.

It was from Hikari, and there was one word. School.

* * *

><p>"It's been too long," said Fuyutsuki.<p>

Akagi put a cloth soaked in cool water on Shinji's forehead. He didn't seem to notice. He was feverish, mumbling, his head moving from side to side. Neither of them could make out what he was saying, only that he seemed agitated.

"He should be waking up," said Akagi. "I don't understand this."

"There's that, but I meant the girl."

"Oh," said Akagi. "I know. This is bad, isn't it?"

"When Gendo gets wind of this, there will be trouble."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"I have about as much authority as my stapler," Fuyutsuki said quietly. "No, there's nothing I can do for her, or Katsuragi. I wish there was."

"Asuka," Shinji groaned, his chest jerking.

Akagi craned over him, touching his neck for his pulse. "I think he might be coming around. I don't know."

"We need to find her before he wakes up," said Fuyutsuki. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I could do? What could I do?"

"There must be something," Fuyutsuki pressed. "A favor you could call in, a resource you're not exploiting. Can we remotely access the MAGI from here?"

Akagi blinked. "No," she said, quietly. "But I know someone who can."

She stood up and walked to the other side of the room, pulling her phone from her pocket. Fuyutsuki slid off the couch, cursing his old knees, and sat down beside the boy. He was twitching, now, silently mouthing words, and Fuyutsuki suddenly realized he was afraid. If Shinji went into some kind of fugue and started tearing the building apart, there would be nothing he could do to stop him.

Akagi hung up and walked back over, and sat down beside him.

"I did everything I could," said Akagi. "I just hope I'm not making a terrible mistake."

* * *

><p>Rei sat before her computers. She put her phone down, moved the three mice to bring them all to a waking state, and took in a breath. One by one, she opened the MAGI terminal on each one, connecting her to the three individual minds that made up the system. She carefully ensure that her connection was encrypted and her location obfuscated by the proxy servers she had set up, but once she was logged into the system, it would no longer matter.<p>

She started to type. Her hands her flew from keyboard to keyboard, her fingers danced over the keys, and the system spoke to her. The interface was clumsy and slow, and annoyed her. As her fingers moved faster and faster, the screens flashed as they accepted her commands. After a time, she could no longer tell where the screens ended and her eyes began, as if the exchange of information was taking place inside her mind. The system agreed with her and began dividing up the video feeds from around the city. She flicked through them one by one, looking for Asuka. When she did not immediately appear, she began playing back the feeds, first one, then three, then ten, then all of them.

She realized she was no longer touching the keys. Curious.

The feeling of her body began to fade. She felt like a passenger as she stood up, slipped into her shoes, and walked out the door. She stopped before she reached the bottom floor where her security detail waited to begin trailing her, aware of their movements from the cameras in the apartment they occupied. Instead, she turned and pushed open the door to one of the empty apartments on the second floor, walked to the balcony, and began climbing down the fire escape. She dropped the last few feet and landed neatly in a gymnast's dismount, and began walking.

The cameras lost her at the school. She watched the playback in her mind's eye. Toji and Kensuke had spoken to her, but she ran away. The microphones on the cameras were not sensitive enough to hear what she said. Rei stopped in her tracks. She watched the taller boy take out his cell phone, and make a call. She felt a sort of dizziness as she heard the boy speaking in agitated tones to Hikari, telling her what he'd seen.

She closed her eyes, and the recording from the school camera erased, along with all records of the cell phone call. There was another, a text message. She traced that, eyes closed, her vision filled with a luminous network of connections and meaning. It was intoxicating. She could see Mister Kaji in his car, looking up at him from where his phone rested on the passenger's seat.

"Excuse me," said Rei.

Kaji jerked, and she heard the car swerve and the tires squeal. He picked up the phone and stared at it. "What the hell?"

"This is Ayanami," said Rei. "You will meet me and pick me up. I will help you find her."

"How are you accessing my phone? I don't have video chat-"

"Irrelevant. Pick me up. Now."

She closed the connection, and willed open a similar one to Misato.

"Captain?"

Misato pulled her phone out of her pocket, yelped, and nearly dropped it. "Rei? What? How are you-"

"Listen carefully," said Rei, "I must give you directions. There are not enough seats in Kaji's car."

* * *

><p>Asuka sat down on the curb. Her feet hurt too much to go on. She didn't know where she was, only that it was dark and deserted and that suited her just fine. She was in some kind of construction zone- the building she was sitting in front of was just a skeleton, a great lurking collection of struts and shadows that felt like it wanted lean over and crush her. She looked up at it and wished it would. They'd find her, soon, she was leaving bloody footprints on the road. What would happen then?<p>

Where would she go?

She heard footsteps, and looked up. She reeled back with a start, falling onto her hands. The pavement stung them. Ghostly pale and glowing in the street lamps, Rei approached her in silence, then sat down beside her, primly folding her hands in her lap.

"Are you hurt?"

Asuka opened her mouth and worked her jaws silently, but no sound come out. She felt her stomach clench. She wouldn't start blubbering in front of Rei, she wouldn't do that. She sat up, crossed her arms, and stared into the pavement.

"Leave me alone."

"I am sorry, but no."

Asuka glared at her. "What do you want?"

"I am concerned for your safety."

She snorted.

Rei didn't look at her. "I have directed Kaji and Misato here. They will arrive soon."

"What do they want with me?"

"They have been searching for you. They are also concerned for your safety."

"No they aren't," said Asuka, sniffling. "They're afraid I won't pilot their stupid machine anymore."

"You are upset," said Rei.

"No shit," said Asuka. "How did you come to that brilliant conclusion?"

Rei didn't rise to her challenge. "Why are you upset? You were not like this after the battle."

"Well," said Asuka, "Things change."

"I see," said Rei.

"No you don't," Asuka snapped, "You don't understand at all."

"You have discovered that Shinji is Superman. Is he hurt? Doctor Akagi did not mention-"

"_What?"_ Asuka shrieked, "How did you know? He did he tell _you?_ He told you and not _me?" _

"No," Rei said. "He did not tell me. I deduced it."

"Oh," said Asuka, "so I'm just an idiot now. I get it, the super-smart wondergirl robot figured it out while stupid airheaded Asuka couldn't. Well, fine, you can have him. I'm leaving."

Asuka jumped to her feet and started walking away, wincing. She could no longer run. To her dismay, Rei stood up and started following her, keeping pace with her and walking by her side. Asuka eyed her but said nothing, and the one good thing about Rei was that she kept her mouth shut without prompting.

"Why are you following me?"

Rei looked around. "This area is dangerous."

"So what? What are you going to do, stare them to death?"

Rei shook her head. "I will ensure your safety. You are unique. If I die, I can be replaced."

Bile rose in Asuka's throat, and before she knew what she was doing, she slapped Rei, screaming incoherently. The girl just took it, just stood there while Asuka grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently.

"Don't say that!" she screamed, "Don't ever say that! Don't talk about dying! _Don't talk about dying!" _

She sank to her knees. Shock blew the breath from her lungs as Rei followed her to the ground and feebly, awkwardly embraced her, folding her pale arms around Asuka's shoulders. The tears came again, unbidden, and unwanted. Asuka shook and shuddered and trying to hold in the sobs only made them louder.

"I don't want to," Asuka moaned into Rei's shoulder, "I don't want to."

"Do not want to what?" Rei whispered.

"I don't want to hate him," she moaned, "He's going to die and I'm not going to be there and I'll never see him again and he didn't get my message! He didn't answer the phone! Why didn't he answer his fucking phone?"

Rei's grip tightened. "He was busy."

"Too busy for me," Asuka moaned. "Nobody wants me," she sobbed, not knowing why she was dumping this on Rei's shoulder, and not caring. "I should just die."

"That is not true," said Rei. "They began looking for you as soon as you left. Mister Kaji and Misato are both looking for you. Toji called Hikari to tell her where you were and she helped Mister Kaji by telling him. Doctor Akagi was so worried about you she called me and asked for my help. We are all concerned for you."

Pale light pooled around her, and the light from car headlights twinkled in her tears. She pressed her eyes tightly shut, listening to Rei's soft breathing. She heard a car door creak open, and the soft sounds of footsteps. She opened her as Kaji knelt down beside her. He touched her shoulder and ran his fingers through her hair, and winced when he saw her feet.

"Asuka," he whispered, "We're going to take you home now. Is that okay?"

She nodded vigorously. Kaji tensed as another car rounded the corner and pulled up behind him, and reached around to the back of his waistband until Misato emerged from the car and ran over, barefoot herself. Together they helped Asuka stand, and Asuka leaned on Rei's shoulder as she limped over to Misato's car. Rei helped her sit down.

"I'm sorry I hit you," Asuka sniffed.

"Do not be concerned," said Rei. "I will take my vengeance at a later time."

Asuka stared at her.

"That was a joke."

"Oh."

"Come on," said Misato, touching her shoulder. "We need to get home, and fast."

"They're looking for me," said Kaji, crouching by Misato's window. "I'll run a distraction for you."

"Looking for you?" said Misato. "Why?"

"I sort of beat the shit out of Yoshida. He was in my way."

"Huh," said Misato. "Thank you."

"Anytime," said Kaji.

They stared at each other for a moment. Asuka watched them, turning in the seat to lean into the headrest, and closed her eyes. Despite the sting of her feet and the drawing fatigue in her muscles and the pounding pain in her head, sleep fell on her almost instantly, and she dreamed that Misato took Kaji by the collar and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

* * *

><p>Ritsuko remained with Shinji while Fuyutsuki rushed down the stairs as Misato returned, parking right in front of the door. He held the door for her as she walked the girl up, her feet covered in a pair of bloody socks. She stopped at the door, blinking in confusion at Fuyutsuki. He could see she'd been crying, probably harder than she had since her mother died. She looked at him.<p>

"What are you doing here?"

"We'll talk upstairs," he said, pulling the door closed behind him. He looked around the parking lot again, and then followed the pair into the elevator.

The girl said nothing as they walked from the elevator and into the apartment, until she saw Shinji lying on the floor. She broke down, crushing herself against Misato, so shaky that the woman had to hold her up until they almost fell onto the couch. Fuyutsuki closed the door, and locked it. He walked to the couch, glanced out the window, and saw the first raindrops hitting the balcony. The bloody mark on the door smeared.

"What do we do now?" said Misato. "Should I call in and tell them we found her?"

Akagi stood up. "How did they know she was missing? Neither of us called it…"

Her eyes went wide. She ran to the couch, yanked Asuka's hair clips free, and ran to the balcony door. Before Asuka could stop her, Akagi wound up and threw them out into the air, and slammed the door shut. She stood there, panting.

"That son of a bitch," she growled, beating her fist against the wall.

"Why did you do that?" said Misato.

"They're bugged, the fucking things are bugged. Do you have any more?"

Asuka shook her head. "That was my spare set."

"Don't wear them unless you're piloting," said Akagi, dropping down by Shinji's side.

She worked a thermometer into his mouth, pushed the button, and waited. A tense silence fell over the room. Akagi pulled it free, checked it, and breathed out, hard, as she fell onto her back. Her eyes drifted closed.

"Normal," she said. "98.6."

Fuyutsuki put his hand on the couch to stop from falling. His knees felt like jelly. He sat down on the arm and breathed deeply, and looked to the ceiling to whisper a silent thanks. Misato carefully detached herself from Asuka, letting her fall sideways against the back of the couch, and prodded the doctor with her foot.

"Rits, wake up," said Misato. "Wake up."

"Go 'way," Akagi moaned, "I need sleep."

Sighing, Misato stood up, grabbed Akagi by the shoulders, and started dragging her out of the living room. "You can sleep in my room. I need to patch Asuka up."

"Why don't you get some rest yourself, Captain?" said Fuyutsuki. "I still remember first aid."

As Katsuragi dragged the semi-conscious doctor into her bedroom, Fuyutsuki found the first aid kit they'd used to bandage Shinji's wounds, and moved to kneel before the girl, taking her ankles gently to stretch out her legs.

"Go ahead and lie down," he said, taking out a roll of bandages, some sterile pads, and anti-microbial wipes. "I'll fix you right up."

Asuka put her head on the arm of the couch. Fuyutsuki spotted Shinji's glasses, picked them up, and handed them to her. She held them by the earpieces, turning them around and around and studying them, but said nothing He pulled the socks off her feet and winced when he saw the bleeding. She had a few bad cuts, but nothing that would require stitches, thankfully. She was mostly blistered and raw from running around barefoot. She winced as he started cleaning the cuts.

"Do you know where he got those?"

She shook her head.

"They belonged to his mother."

She looked at him, but said nothing.

"Do you know why he wears a costume?"

She didn't answer him, but folded the glasses and rested them on her chest. With the cuts clean, he started putting on the bandages, with the sterile pads first. She continued to wince at his touch, biting her lip as he worked.

"You think he was hiding himself from you, I know," said Fuyutsuki, puttering over her wounds. "But he wasn't. He was hiding from everyone else."

"Huh?" she said, and he smiled quietly to himself.

"Well," he said, "Why do you wear your nerve clips when you're not piloting?"

"So people know I'm a pilot," she said, absently.

"So why does he wear the suit?"

She shrugged. "He wants people to know who he is. I guess."

"Maybe," said Fuyutsuki, "but I think there's more to it than that. Can you imagine being totally alone?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Then you must know how it would feel. I suppose he never told you where he comes from."

She shook her head.

"We found a rocket in the Antarctic, around Second Impact. We struggled to open it for years, until one day Shinji's mother was working on it, and it opened for her. You see, it needed a pregnant female to activate it."

"What did it do to her?"

"It changed her, and him. It grafted an alien genetic sequence into his DNA, made him a kind of hybrid. We were afraid, before he was born, that he would be some sort of monstrosity. You should have seen the look on his mother's face when she was handed a bright smiling baby boy, perfectly normal."

"So?" said Asuka. "If he's like everyone else, how is he alone?"

"Because he isn't like everyone else. I don't think he even needs to sleep, or eat. He could do whatever he wanted, if it came to his mind. Do you know what other men would do with the sort of power he has? They'd make themselves princes. He risks his life to help people and doesn't even ask for anything in return. Do you know why he does that?"

She shook her head. "So people will like him?"

He finished the last of her bandages, and placed his hands on his knees. "If that's true, why does he take the suit off? He could be Superman all the time, if he wanted to. He doesn't have to live here, cook your meals, do your laundry. He does all of these things because he chooses to. Why do you think that is?"

"He doesn't want to be alone," said Asuka.

Fuyutsuki nodded. "There are some things that for all his power, he doesn't have, that only you and Misato, his family, could give him. He kept his secret from you because he was afraid you'd look at him and you wouldn't see Shinji anymore."

She turned away, rolling into the back of the couch. As he stood up, he rested a hand on your shoulder. "It's okay to be upset with him," said Fuyutsuki, "but remember what you were ready to say to him when you thought you might not be coming back."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "What? Misato said no one could hear-"

Fuyutsuki chuckled softly to himself. "I didn't need to."

The door buzzed, and Fuyutsuki got up, wearily. Asuka turned away from him, not in indignation or sadness, but simply to sleep. She closed her eyes and squirmed until she was comfortable, and he could swear she was snoring by the time he reached the buzzer. He pushed the button.

"Katsuragi!" Yoshida growled, "Open the door. I'm coming up there."

Fuyutsuki walked out of the apartment and closed the door behind him. He took the elevator, taking his time, and walked to the front door of the complex. He touched the button next to the speaker as Yoshida leaned on the door, fogging the glass with his breath.

"I don't know what's going on, old man," said Yoshida, "but you had better open this door. I'm coming either way, and a tactical team is coming with me if I have to break the door down."

Fuyutsuki smiled warmly. "Why, Mister Yoshida, I don't understand. Is there some kind of a problem?"

"Don't play coy with me," said Yoshida. "The Second Child is in there, and I want to know what the hell is going on."

"Yes, she's in there," said Fuyutsuki, "She has been the entire time. I've just finished eating dinner with the Captain and her friend Akagi. The Ikari boy prepared a lovely supper in honor of our victory."

Yoshida eyed him. "Bullshit. The locator-"

"What locator is that?" said Fuyutsuki.

Yoshida eyed him. Fuyutsuki buzzed the door open and pushed his way out, letting it shut behind him. He looked around, or mimed it anyway, until he spotted the broken crimson remnants of the nerve clips Ritsuko had tossed out the window. He walked briskly to them, picked them up, and held them out for Yoshida to see.

"My my," said Fuyutsuki, "This must all be a misunderstanding. She must have dropped her clips out here. It looks like they broke. No doubt this cause the errant tracking signal you referred to. It's a shame we went to all this trouble, isn't it?"

Yoshida folded his arms.

"I suppose you'll be going now."

Yoshida motioned for his men, and Fuyutsuki watched, satisfied, as they loaded up in their black vans. As they rumbled to the edge of the parking lot, Kaji appeared in his white Lotus, and rolled down his window. He peered up at Yoshida.

"Meep meep," he shouted, and pulled into the lot.

Kaji got out of the car and faced him.

"So," he said.

"So," said Fuyutsuki.

"You're the other one," said Kaji.

"I suppose I am. Everyone got home alright?"

Fuyutsuki nodded. "It took Yoshida a while to track them back here. I wonder what happened."

"I'd say someone in a white Lotus led them on a merry chase," said Kaji, putting a cigarette between his lips. "Couldn't have been me, I've been home all night."

"I have a feeling the MAGI system will corroborate everything you say," said Fuyutsuki.

"I guess we should be getting on, then," said Kaji. "I'll keep an eye on them for a while."

Fuyutsuki nodded.

Kaji turned at the top of the steps. "Where do we go from here?"

Fuyutsuki looked back at him over the door of his car. "I think we should look into saving the world."

* * *

><p>Asuka awoke to discover that she had somehow moved from the couch to the floor, and that she had somehow been covered in a blanket, and that, somehow, Shinji was curled up against her. She watched him for a while, as he breathed in and out, slowly. The bruises around his eyes were gone. The sun was rising, and it turned everything in the room a deep red. He stirred in his sleep and she gently brushed the hair back from his eyes. She threw her arm over his neck, and touched her forehead to his, and let herself drift back to sleep.<p>

When she woke up again, he was watching her. Neither one of them spoke.

"I got your message," he said at last, "but I think I broke my phone."

She sighed.

"Are you mad at me?"

She nodded.

"Do you… do you hate me?"

She didn't answer for a while, and then said, "What are you, stupid?"

"I'm sorry."

He grunted a little as he sat up. Asuka sat up next to him, pulling the blanket over her chest, and put her head on his shoulder as he looked out the window. The sun was over the rooftops now, and gold pooled in all the places where glass or water would catch the light. Shinji looked down at his feet.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I tried to tell you but I was…"

"Afraid," said Asuka. "I know."

She reached down beside her and picked up his glasses, unfolded them, and slipped him into his face. "There," she said, "that's better."

"I had a bad dream," he whispered, "I was in a dark place, and I knew you were there but I couldn't find you. I called your name, but you wouldn't answer me."

She ran her fingers through his hair and put her arms around him.

"There's more," he said. "There was something chasing me."

"What was it?"

"Aliens," he whispered, "yellow aliens."

"Don't worry about that now," she said, "I want you to tell me everything."

He scrubbed his hands through his hair and lowered himself back to the floor. She curled herself against him, closing her eyes as she set her head to rest on his shoulder. He drew in a deep breath, lifting her effortlessly, and put his arm around her waist.

"There was a planet called Krypton," he said.

* * *

><p>Kaworu drummed his fingers along with the music. The fugue fascinated him, drew him in with its complexity as it turned back on itself. It surprised him that a lilin could produce something so masterful with such limitations. He closed his eyes and leaned back into his seat and let the warmth of the sun spill over him. Already he could feel the tugging in his chest, the allure of his next brother rising from his resting place.<p>

His phone rang, and ruined it.

He lifted the device and tapped in his access code, and waited for the encrypted connection to be made. It placed it on the table before him and the holographic image of Keel appeared above it, flickering and translucent. Kaworu lifted the remote control and silenced the stereo as Keel leaned forward on his desk, the mechanical contraption that held him upright whirring and grinding against itself.

"My son."

"Father," said Kaworu.

"The path is in ruins. The children come unbidden, without regard to the proper signs."

"Yes," said Kaworu, "I feel them, they grow restless. The alien frightens them. He does not belong here."

"Yet, all proceeds as I have foreseen. The Second will break and she will bring about the desolation. Though the pain of death lies the glory of resurrection, and you, my son, will be the new God."

"Yes," said Kaworu, touching his chin with a slender finger. "I have tasted her sorrow. That one's pain runs deep."

"As we intended. Her annoying mother made a most fortuitous sacrifice."

"I want her."

"All will be one with you, my son. Yours is the glory."

Kaworu smiled. "I want her now."

"No, she must be broken first. The Angel of Haze will begin the downward spiral."

"She will survive anything if Ikari is with her," said Kaworu, closing his eyes. "He must die."

"Indeed," said Keel. "He will be struck down by the Arm of God, and when he lies broken she will come to you willingly and embrace the sweet oblivion you bring."

"If he should survive it?"

Keel shrugged. "Kill him."

"Nothing would please me more," said Kaworu.

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<em>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

**S**

_Chapter 12: The Conversation_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Hikari felt a creeping tension in her shoulders as she rode the elevator to the Katsuragi apartment. She hadn't seen Asuka since before the last angel, the last <em>angels<em>, and the last she heard of her friend, she'd run away from home for some reason, one of her guardians was driving around looking for her, and there were Nerv security people shaking people down for information. It came as something of a surprise when Asuka called her out of the blue and asked Hikari to join her for a shopping trip. She stepped out of the elevator and looked around, scanning for danger. Everything looked normal. They would have plenty of time- the city was swarming with high school students, as the school had been closed following the attack, and would reopen in a week when everything was moved over to the warehouse where classes would be held it until it reopened.

Shinji answered the door. He was dressed for school, or so it seemed, until Hikari realized he was wearing long sleeves, and a tie. With his hair combed, he looked rather gentlemanly. "Oh," he said, "Hi, Hikari."

"Shinji?" said Hikari. "Hi. Um, Asuka invited me over."

"I know," he gestured, "Please, come in."

Hikari followed him inside, slipping out of her shoes. "Is everything okay? With Asuka, I mean."

"I'm fine," said Asuka, appearing from her bedroom. She was dressed to the nines in a sky blue sun dress that left her back exposed, makeup, the works, and she was wearing her hair differently. It dawned on Hikari after a moment; she didn't have her trademark hair clips in, and was just letting her hair flow free. She kept brushing it out of her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Be careful," she said to Shinji, as they left.

He followed them to the door. "Call me if you need me," he said, touching her shoulder.

Asuka kissed him on the cheek. "I will."

Hikari was shocked into silence until the elevator doors clothes.

"Oh my God," she breathed, "You _kissed_ him."

"Yeah," Asuka rolled her eyes. "I do that all the time."

Hikari clapped her hands together in excitement, bouncing on her feet. "Wow! That's great! Is he your boyfriend now?"

"Has been for a while," Asuka said absently, staring at her feet. "We started going out… well, we don't really _go out,_ but it started on the aircraft carrier."

Hikari nodded. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you. He's quite a catch."

Asuka smiled secret to herself. "Oh," she said, "You have _no _idea."

"So," said Hikari, "um, I was… I was wondering about the other night. After the attack."

"Oh," said Asuka. "I… Shinji was hurt. I got scared and I, I guess I ran away."

"Toji and Kensuke were really worried about you. They called me up in a panic after they saw you outside the school."

Asuka nodded. "Yeah. I guess I should thank them for calling you. You told Kaji where I was."

"I was just trying to help," said Hikari.

The elevator came to the first floor and the door opened. Asuka put her hand on the doors, to keep them from closing.

"Thank you," said Asuka. "I really mean it, Hikari. I can be a really demanding person sometimes and," she drew in a breath, "I'm really glad that you're my friend. I don't do enough to show you show much I appreciate you."

"Wow," said Hikari, "I mean, thank you."

Asuka smiled and nodded, and they headed out the door. As usual, a small crowd of security people kept their distance, forming a loose ring, chattering into their wrists. Hikari stopped noticing them after a while. Men in Black were a common sight in the city.

"Where are we going, anyway?" said Hikari.

"The mall. I just wanted to shop a little and hang out. I need to get my hair done. It won't stay out of my eyes."

"That's cool. I should probably go with you. I'm going out with Toji tonight, and-"

"Yes!" Asuka squealed, elbowing her. "Finally!"

Hikari blushed furiously. "Yeah, yeah. It just… after the last attack it feels stupid worrying about stuff."

Asuka nodded. "Yeah, yeah it does."

"Where's Shinji going? He's all dressed up."

"The Second Impact memorial," Asuka said, casting her eyes to the ground.

"Oh," said Hikari. "Why is he going there?"

"This is the anniversary of his mother's passing," said Asuka. "Her memorial is there. He goes every year, I guess."

"That's really sad that his mom is gone," said Hikari. "I lost my mom when I was little. I don't really remember her, but my dad and Kodama talk about her with each other sometimes. I feel left out."

Asuka stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"Oh, I mean because I don't really remember her, and Nozomi was just a baby-"

"I," Asuka choked up a little. "I lost my mother, too. I was eight."

Hikari looked at her feet. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Asuka shook her head. "It's okay. I have to be strong for him. He needs my help. I need to pick up a few things. He's taking me out tonight, on a real date."

"Did he say where?"

She shook her head. "No, it's a surprise, but I'm sure it'll be great."

"I hope so," said Hikari. "I'm just going to a movie with Toji."

Asuka nodded. "I guess everybody is going out tonight, now that I think about it. Misato has some kind of a wedding she's going to with Kaji."

Hikari coughed. "Oh."

"I'm completely okay with that," said Asuka. "They're adults, they can do what they want. I just hope Shinji will be okay without me."

"Huh?" said Hikari. "I'm sure he will. He's really strong."

"Yeah," said Asuka, lowering her voice, "but his father will be there, too."

* * *

><p>"So," Shinji said to the stone, "I have a girlfriend, mother."<p>

He was kneeling before the plain black marker, a slab of polished black stone carved with his mother's name, lined with dull silver, and under that a pair of dates. That was all that was left of her, that and the picture that Fuyutsuki kept in secret. Every other piece of evidence his mother ever existed, her writings, her accomplishments as a scholar and a professor, her speeches, all of it was gone, erased in totality, as if she never was. Outside of a small circle of people, this marker was the only evidence she ever existed.

"Her name is Asuka. You probably knew her, she was, she _is _your friend's daughter."

He touched the stone, sniffing quietly to himself. "I'm trying, mother, but it keeps getting harder."

"She can't hear you."

He looked over his shoulder. Gendo stood among the markers as if he was one of them, as cold and unmoving as the rest of the stones, marked out only his height. He had his hands in his pockets and one hand was on some kind of a box, something that Shinji couldn't see through. Slowly, Shinji stood up, leaving the flowers he brought pinned to the ground, and faced his father. The older man ignored him and stood in front of the grave, gazing down at it.

Shinji didn't take his eyes off of him. "Then why bother coming?"

"To remind myself of where I have been, and what is at stake."

Gendo didn't ask Shinji why he came.

"It's always about you, isn't it?"

Gendo gave him a withering look, and Shinji met him on his own terms, squaring himself up. He wasn't as tall as his father and probably never would be, but he would never let the old man see him back down.

For all that, his father did not rise to his taunt. "In our hearts, we live only for ourselves. We may believe the lie that we can understand others, but in the end, we are all alone."

"I'm not," said Shinji, "and you don't have to be either."

Gendo did look at him, now.

"I'm asking you to join me, father. Put the past behind us and work together."

"To what end?"

"To stop Seele. To prevent whatever it is they're planning."

Gendo smirked. "There is nothing more dangerous than a young man with just enough knowledge to cause trouble for himself. One day you will learn that lesson, to your sorrow."

"I can stop it, I know I can. They can throw Evas and angels and _Kaworu_ and anything else at me, I'm not afraid. I'm going to try and I'm not going to stop trying until I win or I die. Your help might make the difference."

Gendo's smirk faded. "That's what they do, boy. That's how they win. You fight and you strive and you think you have them, you think you've figured it all out and they have no idea what you're planning, and then when you've completed your masterstroke, you find out you were serving their ends all along. They'll kill you and they'll kill the girl if they need to, and they probably will anyway. You were foolish to confront me. I'll be sitting on the bridge the next time your little girlfriend is out there piloting the Evangelion."

Shinji clenched his fists. "Just remember one thing, father. If you hurt her, there's nowhere in the world you can hide from me, and you better hope you can get out whatever's in that box before I break every bone in your arm."

Gendo leaned over him. "You don't have it in you. If you did, you'd have done it already."

Shinji sighed, cursing himself inwardly. He looked at the stone. "The offer is always on the table. She wouldn't want us at each other's throats."

"There are many things she would or would not have wanted," Gendo said as he turned away. "Many hopes, and many dreams. Now they are all as dead as she is, and there are only ghosts."

"No," said Shinji. "There's one hope left."

* * *

><p>Shopping with Asuka was not an activity, it was an enterprise, an adventure. Hikari wore stout shoes knowing she'd be at the mall all day, but she didn't expect half of the stores to be closed. The larger stores were open, but many of the smaller shops were closed. Her favorite costume jewelry store and the place that sold the little plastic army men were boarded up, and some of the restaurants had closed.<p>

"Things get bad and they run," Asuka scoffed, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"I've heard lots of people talking about moving," said Hikari. "They say it's getting too dangerous around here. I'm worried there won't be many people left when we go back to school."

Asuka nodded absently. The mall itself was surprisingly deserted, with only a few clumps of people moving here and there, the stores mainly empty. Hikari followed Asuka's lead as they wandered in and out of department stores. She spotted something that interested her and quickened her pace, heading into the cool air of one the stores.

Hikari stopped. Asuka slowed. "What is it?"

Skulking along the other side of the hallway was an unearthly pale girl with silvery blue hair, dressed in an oversized long coat and a man's had pulled down over her forehead, and a pair of dark aviator sunglasses. Hikari watched her for a moment.

"Is that Ayanami?"

Asuka nodded. "What the hell is she doing?"

Hikari shrugged, and Asuka stormed across the hallway to confront her.

"Rei, what are you doing?"

Ayanami stopped, looked around, and tilted her head to the side. "I am engaged in a covert operation."

"Uh," said Hikari. "What?"

"I cannot explain now. Excuse me."

Rei shuffled off, tugging on her hat. Asuka and Hikari stood there, watching her until she rounded a corner and headed for the food court. The girls turned to each other, shrugged, and headed back to the shop. Asuka weaved between the displays and racks of clothes until she came to a display in the eveningwear section, a tall mannequin dressed in a red sequined dress, glittering in the light as if it was covered in rubies. It left one shoulder bare and the front was slit almost to the hip.

"Wow," said Hikari. "That's pretty."

"It sure is," said Asuka. "Wait here."

Asuka disappeared, and a few minutes later, stalked across the floor in a copy of the dress. Hikari's jaw dropped.

"What do you think?"

"You can't wear that!" Hikari breathed.

Asuka looked down at herself and did a slow turn, twisting her back. She grinned wickedly. "That's exactly the reaction I was going for."

Hikari stood, scandalized, while Asuka disappeared again, and returned with the dress in a bag. She kept staring at it while Asuka walked, the red sequins flashing in the harsh mall floodlights. Asuka moved with a purpose, taking long strides that forced Hikari to hurry to catch up.

"We," Asuka announced, "are getting our hair done."

* * *

><p>Kensuke looked around the nearly empty food court, nervously running his fingers over the straps of his backpack, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. When he saw a pair of men in dark suits and sunglasses walking through the mall stop and look at him, he started to jump up and pull his pack on, until a slender hand forced him back down into his seat. It took him a minute to register the fact that the person in the coat, hat, and sunglasses that sat down opposite him at the cast iron table was a girl. On further examination, it was not just any girl. It was Rei.<p>

"Ayanami?" Kensuke whispered, "What are you _doing_ here? Why are you dressed up like that?"

"I instructed you to meet me here. I am dressed clandestinely."

"Uh," said Kensuke. "I guess. Wait, what? That was _you? _How did you access my phone?"

"It does not matter," she said quickly, glancing around. "You must come with me."

Kensuke shrugged into his backpack and followed her out of the food court. Instead of walking down the mail hall, she headed between a noodle stand and a loudly decorated burger restaurant, drawing bewildered stares from the operators of both. She glanced over her shoulder and pulled him by the wrist down a pair of plain access doors and down a dark hallway that smelled like dirty water and echoed with dripping sounds. Kensuke looked around, and felt his chin begin to quiver.

Ayanami stopped at a security card reader. A tiny red light blinked like an angry eye, until she touched it with her finger, closed her eyes, and it beeped. The light turned green and the door popped open. She pulled the door open and pointed inside.

"Is this your secret lair?"

"No," said Ayanami, "it is the loading dock. Now move."

"Oh," said Kensuke.

The dock was quiet and dark, and one of the exterior doors was open. Ayanami led the way out into the parking lot, where she stopped, looked around, and grabbed Kensuke to keep him from moving. "Wait," she said, "We must avoid the cameras. Move when I move."

"How-"

She pulled him a few feet ahead, stopped, and did the same thing again, moving in a zig-zag pattern across the empty parking lot. Eventually, she reached a path that led out onto the sidewalk and away from the mall. Kensuke rushed to keep up with her.

"What's going on? How did you do that thing with the security? I didn't even _see_ any cameras."

"I cannot tell you," said Ayanami. "Follow me, and be quiet."

By the time they reached the more dilapidated section of the city, the old part where the construction workers were housed when it was built, Kensuke's feet hurt. Rei took a seemingly random pathway, sometimes doubling back or going in different directions. He started to feel a bit nervous as more and more of the windows were broken or boarded up and the sound of a pile driver echoed in his ears. He rubbed his arms nervously. His backpack was heavy.

She stopped at a seemingly random building, walked to the fire escape, and shrugged out of her coat, revealing a school uniform beneath. She handed Kensuke the hat and glasses, then jumped up, surprisingly high, to grab the last run of the fire escape. After she crawled up to the first level, she lowered the ladder for him. He huffed his way to the top, and she pulled the ladder back up, bundling the coat and hat and glasses behind the first iron staircase. Kensuke followed her up to the fourth floor, where she sat on an open window, swept her legs inside, and motioned for him to follow.

He ended up in a small, dilapidated but obviously inhabited apartment, small and smelling oddly of disinfectant and, well, _girl. _He wandered into the bedroom, which was also the kitchen and laundry room, and turned in a slow circle. The entire wall was covered in papers, printouts, cutouts from old browned newspapers, notes and figures jotted on pieces of napkin and wrappers and what he quickly realized was the inside of a disassembled tampon box. The entire labyrinth of papers was connected by strings of yarn, tracing seemingly random connections between them. As he started to read them, he saw that the strings were color coded. Some of the articles were eighty years old; _Billionaire assassinated, _one read, while another talked about a forensic scientist killed by a freak lightning strike. He put his bag on the floor and walked around in a slow circle, taking it in.

"Do you see?" she whispered.

"Yes," said Kensuke, "Yes, I see."

She stood next to him. "There is something missing. Something that was meant to happen, but did not."

"What do you mean?"

"The landscape has taken the wrong direction," said Rei, looking around the room. "Events are misshapen. We are in chaotic terrain."

Kensuke shivered. There was something about it that unnerved him, like the idea was too big for his mind and he was struggling to force himself down pathways he couldn't take. Rei stared silently at the pattern until she turned to him.

"You will call me Rei."

"Okay," said Kensuke. "Um,"

"Did you bring the materials, as I asked?"

He nodded vigorously, and hauled his backpack up onto her bed. Inside he had a thick sheaf of papers, neatly organized into bundles and folders. He started laying them out on the rumpled sheets and Rei picked them up one by one, scanning them.

"I detected your intrusions into these systems," she said absently, looking over one of the reports he printed. "I ensured your anonymity was maintained. You must not do this again. I'm concerned for your safety."

"Is it that bad?"

"If your identity were connected with these intrusions, you would be killed."

Kensuke paled. His throat went dry. "Oh," he said, "Shit."

"Indeed," said Rei, spreading open the folders. "You did not risk your life without purpose. You have opened avenues of information for me that would not be safely accessible on my own."

"I don't understand," said Kensuke. "This is just a budget report. I don't even know what they're spending this money on, just that it's a _lot._"

"I do," said Rei. "See here."

She touched one of the spreadsheets he'd printed, underlining the lines for something called a "KHE".

"What's a KHE?" said Kensuke."

Rei leaned over the papers and her shirt fell away from her chest. Kensuke blushed furiously, heart skipping, and turned away from her, adjusting his glasses for the sake of something to do with his hands. He coughed.

"Did it work?" said Rei.

"Uh, what?"

"I intentionally exposed my cleavage to you. This is called 'flirting'. My research suggests that is highly effective to-"

"Uh," Kensuke sputtered, "Yeah, it worked, I didn't know you… umm…"

She sat down next to him. "I cannot be your 'girlfriend', Kensuke. I must make that clear."

"I, uh, what, what are you-"

She folded her hands in her lap and looked down. "It would not be fair to you. But… I did not ask you to join me here for the sake of this information. I have enjoyed our chat sessions. I wanted to know… if you desire me."

Kensuke tried to talk, but his throat was so dry only sputtering croaking sounds came out. He swallowed against his sticky throat and stood up, rushed to her sink, and took in a handful of water, then watched his hand shake. Rei watched him, confused.

"Have I offended you?"

He coughed on the water. "No," he croaked. "I can't… I mean I don't… is this some kind of a joke?"

"No," said Rei. "Sit down. Now."

Warily, he sat down.

She turned to face him, shifting slightly, and the way she twisted her body tightened her school uniform shirt across her chest. Kensuke swallowed again, and he was shaking. She leaned closer to him and closed her eyes, putting her hand on his cheek to guide himself. He closed his eyes and leaned towards her, and his chest tightened. She had an earthy, human smell, no perfume, only a faint sweet odor of sweat and the soft heat of her breath on her lips before they touched his. At first they both pressed too hard, awkwardly, until he relaxed and they settled into a softer, gentler sort of embrace. It felt like forever until she pulled away.

She looked at her feet again. "I would like to continue, but I will not."

"Why?" said Kensuke. "I don't understand. Are you in some kind of trouble? Look, I- Shinji knows Superman. He could ask him to save you."

She smiled softly. "He has already saved me."

"Then what's going on?"

She rested her pale hand on his. Her skin was much warmer than he would have thought. "One day the war with the angels will be over. You will find a warm and kind woman and you will be happy with her. Promise me this."

"Rei?" said Kensuke. "You sound like you're dying or something." He looked around the room, saw the pill bottles, "Are you sick?"

She took her hand away. "One day soon, I must leave. I can no longer stay here."

"Where are you going?"

She shook her head. "Someplace far away, but I will not forget you, or my friends. You have all made me understand."

"Understand what?"

"I once believed that it was not possible for human beings to connect with one another. I was wrong."

"This doesn't make any sense," said Kensuke. "Why are you telling me this?"

She looked at him, and smiled softly. "I like you."

Kensuke shifted, and stared out the window.

"I must ask you not to speak of this with anyone else."

He nodded. "I won't."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I should walk you home, now."

* * *

><p>Hikari walked Asuka into the apartment building, and her head felt weird. Her new hairdo bounced with every step, and it felt wet and heavy. It would dry in time, but it still felt odd compared to her normal pigtails. After the stylist showed her the way her hair had been cut, she stared at it in amazement and poked at it with her fingertip.<p>

"You look awesome," said Asuka.

Hikari didn't know how to reply. _Asuka_ looked unbelievable. Even in her simple blue dress, the way she'd had her hair done made her look not like a different person, but more herself, somehow. It was cut to shoulder length and flattened against her head, and shone like brushed copper. The trimmed locks around her face were cut and curled, and a thick strand of hair hung over her eye, swaying when she moved.

Hikari followed her into the apartment, smiling at the cool air. Miss Misato always kept her air conditioning turned down to the bare minimum, and the apartment was like an icebox. Hikari gasped in surprise when Misato herself emerged from the bathroom. She had on a tight black gown that left her shoulders bare and seemed to be supported only by a band of braided fabric that was connected to a black choker around her throat; the dress left so much of her back exposed that she'd risk arrest if she bent over. She'd had her hair done, too; it was flat against her head, spilled over her shoulders, and was as dark as night and shined like polished obsidian. As she walked into the living room in her bare feet, she tugged on a pair of white opera gloves that went almost to her shoulders.

"Hi girls," she said, cheerily. "How do I look?"

"Is that a collar?" said Asuka. She made a tiny whip-cracking motion.

Misato rolled her eyes. "You look nice. I like the way you did your hair."

"Hang out here for a minute," said Asuka, turning to Hikari. "I have to make a phone call."

That left Hikari in the living room, with Misato. She shuffled awkwardly, holding her bag in front of her so that her arms were crossed over her chest. Misato watched her from the corner of her eye as she ran dark lipstick over her lips. She walked over to Hikari and looked down on her, thrusting out her chest.

"You're going out with that boy, aren't you? Shinji's friend, what's his name, Toji?"

"That's right," Hikari said, her voice squeaking a little.

Misato smiled softly. "First date, huh?"

Hikari nodded.

Misato stood next to her until they both faced in the same direction. Misato dipped a little, arched her back, and thrust her chest out. "Here," she said, "Stand like this."

Hikari imitated her, blushing furiously. "I, um," she said.

"Don't let him intimidate you. Remember, boys are like spiders, they're more scared of you than you are of them."

Hikari giggled.

"What are you going to wear?"

"We're just going to a movie. Asuka made me buy this."

Hikari held up the dress she'd bought, or rather, that Asuka had bought her.

Misato nodded, touching her chin with her gloved hand. "Asuka is many things, but unconscious of fashion she is not. That's a good pick, very conservative. It's you."

Hikari smiled. "Thank you."

Asuka came out of her bedroom, dressed in a bathrobe. She hugged Hikari tightly. "Thanks," she said again.

"Anytime," said Hikari.

"I made some calls. I got you a ride," said Asuka. "I have to get ready for tonight."

Misato arched an eyebrow, but said nothing as Asuka headed for the bathroom.

"I guess I should go," said Hikari. "Thank you for letting me visit."

"Of course," said Misato.

Hikari sighed and headed out of the apartment. The elevator ride felt sort of lonely. She sighed, and headed down through the front door of the apartment complex, and her heart jumped up into her throat. In the parking lot was a long black limousine, and a pair of suited Nerv agents, talking into their wrists. Oddly, one of them was a woman, in a black pantsuit.

"Over here," she called.

Hikari walked over to the car. "Um," she said, "I surrender?"

The agents grinned at her. "We're Pilot Soryu's security detail, but she won't be going out tonight, so she asked us to take you and your friend wherever you want to go, instead."

"Oh," said Hikari. "Um, thank you?"

"No problem," said the female agent. She opened her coat, revealing the gun hanging on a holster inside. "If he gets grabby, let me know."

"Uh, thanks," said Hikari.

* * *

><p>Hyuga slumped in his chair, his feet thrown up over the top of his console. Propped on his lap he had open an American comic book. His head leaned back into his seat and his glasses had drooped down as he dozed off. Slowly, Aoba crept up behind him and slipped his glasses off. He leaned over the chair, aimed a flashlight up at his chin, and dropped the glasses on Hyuga's lap.<p>

Hyuga awoke with a start, sputtering. "What the?" until he turned, saw Aoba, and jumped out of his seat, spilling his comic on the floor.

"What are you _doing?"_

"I am the ghost of Christmas Future," Aoba said, theatrically waving his hands. "I come to bear you the message that you, Makoto Hyuga, will never get laid."

Hyuga sighed and bent to scoop up the glasses. "Yeah, well, I don't see you going to the reception, either."

Aoba shrugged. "Yeah, but somebody has to hold down the fort. All of humanity is at stake. We're heroes."

"Yeah," said Hyuga, slumping back into his seat. "Real heroes."

Aoba flopped back into his own seat. "What's that?"

Hyuga glanced down at his comic. "It's a comic book."

"A comic book," said Aoba.

"Yeah, it's like a manga, but they print them in color, and you read them backwards."

"Backwards?" said Aoba.

"Yeah, they read from left to right."

"That's really weird. What's it about?"

"It's called 'Valkyrie' it's about a girl who finds a magic hammer."

"Like a magical girl anime?"

"Kind of like that, I guess," said Hyuga, shrugging. "It's not really the same."

"Isn't there a movie coming out?"

"Yeah, but the book is always better."

"Gentlemen," said Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, striding down the steps to the lower section of the bridge.

Hyuga coughed and shoved his book under the console in a flutter of pages. Aoba killed the solitaire game he had on his screen and straightened up, pulling up a radar display which was, predictably, blank. They both stared down at their feet.

"I didn't hear an 'officer on deck'. I run this operation military."

They both stared at Fuyutsuki, jaws hanging open. Hyuga sputtered, "I'm sorry sir, I-"

Fuyutsuki waved his hand. "I'm joking. I thought I'd come down to see who was working this shift."

"Oh," said Aoba. "It's just us, everyone else is at the wedding, I think."

"Alas," said Fuyutsuki, "I wasn't invited. People in this country used to respect their elders."

"Well," said Hyuga, "You are kind of stern."

"Ah, yes," said Fuyutsuki. "You assume I'm boring just because I'm old. Let me tell you two something very important. I used to be hip, and 'with it', but then they changed what 'it' was, and now what I thought was 'it' isn't 'it' anymore, and what is 'it' is strange and confusing to me."

When he saw the looks on their faces, Fuyutsuki laughed quietly to himself.

"You can go back to your comic books and solitaire, gentlemen. I think everything will be quiet tonight."

As if on cue, a warning appeared on Hyuga's screen. All three men tensed. Hyuga slipped his headset on and adjusted himself in his seat. "This is Nerv Tokyo-3. Who is this?"

Hyuga's brows furrowed in concentration. "I see. Keep us updated." He slipped his headset off. "It's nothing. The transport carrying Unit Three ran into some kind of weird radio interference and they wanted to touch base with us."

"Ah," said Fuyutsuki, "A wise precaution. Well, as you were, gentlemen."

* * *

><p>Kaji preferred to skip weddings, but receptions, he didn't mind. He was surprised at the turnout- it looked like half of Nerv was here. The convention hall, a spacious building that never would have never found a place for itself in a pre-Impact city, looked to be filled to bursting. The fact that he knew the bride and groom only by reputation didn't hamper him much. He parked the Lotus at the far end of the lot and slipped out, shrugging into his dinner jacket.<p>

Across the lot, he spied Ritsuko, Misato, and Maya Ibuki getting out of Ritsuko's boring little car. Misato was resplendent but he was surprised by how conservative her dress was. It barely showed any skin, between the high neckline and the shawl she had around her shoulders that draped down her back, past her waist. Ritsuko, curiously, was the risqué one, with a dark yellow gown that hugged her hips and showed a dangerous décolletage. Ibuki had on a pink gown that looked like she'd recycled her prom dress.

Kaji deftly maneuvered between the cars to move behind them. It was quite a sight to see all three of them walking at once, especially from behind. As he closed in, Misato glanced over her shoulder.

"I see you back there," she said wryly, pulling her long shawl up around her neck.

Kaji trotted briefly to catch up with them. In her heels, Misato was almost as tall as he was. She'd laid it on thick; he didn't remember her looking that good in years, not since… well. He glanced at the other two and gave them brief nods.

"So, you three are going stag, huh?"

"Not exactly," Ritsuko said, smirking. She glanced at Maya, and the girl turned beet red.

Kaji raised an eyebrow. Huh.

"I could offer my services to walk you in. Parking lots like this are dangerous these days."

Misato sighed and held out her elbow. Kaji's heart fluttered like a teenage boy when he slipped his arm through hers, and they started walking in step. They both slowed, and Ritsuko and Maya picked up their pace, pulling ahead.

"Quit looking at their asses," Misato growled.

"I'm a spy, not a robot. I wouldn't worry about it, anyway. I think Rits is off the market."

"Your part of the market, maybe."

"I never figured that."

Misato rolled her eyes. "I was her roommate. Oh, the stories I could tell."

Kaji tugged at his collar. "I'd much rather see pictures."

"Not on your life," said Misato.

As they reached the front door, a doorman in a red velvet jacket took their invitations. Kaji maneuvered to the coat check station, handed over his jacket, and shrugged his shoulders. He felt a little ridiculous in suspenders, but the occasion suited them. Misato walked up to the coat check, took a ticket, and whirled the shawl from her shoulders, and handed it over to the girl.

Kaji could practically feel the blood rushing out of the head of every man within visual range. Misato grinned ferally, deliberately flexing her shoulders and twisting her back as she offered her hand. Kaji took it, and felt quite a few angry stares as they walked into the ballroom.

"Should we head over to the bar?" Kaji whispered.

Misato looked at the open bar, where the barman was theatrically preparing a mixed drinking before a gleaming assortment of bottles.

"No," she said, "I'd rather not. Let's dance."

Surprised, Kaji nodded, and let her guide him to the dance floor.

* * *

><p>Toji straightened his tie. He felt a mild sense of panic as he saw a black Nerv staff car pulling down the street towards his apartment block. In his left hand was a bouquet of flowers, crowned by the dandelion that Kanna had picked out to make sure his date would suitably impressed. When the car pulled up, an agent in a black suit got out, ran to the back, and offered Hikari a hand as she stepped out onto the sidewalk.<p>

Toji blinked. He barely recognized her. Gone were her trademark pigtails, her hair elaborately cut and layered into a tight bob that, combined with the conservative and yet surprisingly tight black dress she wore, made her look, well, _different._ The exact word didn't spring to his mind. In fact, no words sprang to his mind.

So they stood there, staring at each other for a moment.

The agent leaned over. "Real smooth, kid."

Toji shook himself out of his reverie and awkwardly shoved the flowers at her, holding his hands straight out. Hikari laughed softly to herself, took them, and smelled deeply, closing her eyes. Toji didn't know which one of them was blushing harder when she finally lowered them.

"Thank you, they're lovely."

"Uh," Toji tried desperately to remember what he planned to say, "Shall we?" That sounded right.

"Sure," said Hikari, nodding her towards the car. Toji jumped to help her get in, and then slid in himself.

He'd never been in a car like this before. The seats felt more like a couch. He reached to pull the door shut, but the agent, smirking to himself, closed the door. Toji didn't know what to do with his hands, so he folded them in his lap. The inside of the car was bigger than any he'd ever ridden in, and the seats went all the way around. There was an actual refrigerator sitting in the middle of the cabin. The drivers were partitioned off by a sheet of opaque glass.

Toji swallowed. "So."

Hikari smiled. "So, movies, right?"

"Uh, yeah, how do I-"

Hikari pushed a button next to her seat, and the dark glass rolled down. Toji haltingly gave the directions, and the window slid back up.

"So this is a date," said Toji. "We're dating."

"Yes," said Hikari.

He felt himself panicking. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to say something? Huge as it was, the cabin felt monstrously small.

"So," he said. "How are, um, things."

"I went out shopping with Asuka today," Hikari shrugged.

"What happened with that, anyway?"

Hikari looked out the window. "I don't know. Shinji got hurt, I guess, and she ran away."

Toji sighed. "He was outside the shelter. He's always out risking himself somehow, and…" he trailed off.

They both turned to each other.

"Let's talk about something else," said Hikari.

* * *

><p>Shinji stood on the roof, watching the stars come out, as they worked their way one by one through the purple blanket of evening, like pinpricks. He'd already seen Asuka today, he'd already seen her that morning, but his heart was pounding, anyway. He left the note on the table while she was in the shower, and he waited, watching the sun set and the milky way unfold over his head. When the door leading up from the stairs opened, he turned around, and immediately felt under-dressed in his slacks and tie.<p>

Asuka wore deep, richly red high heels and a sequined evening gown of brilliant crimson that glittered in the evening light. It hugged her hips and her thighs, her leg whispering through a long slit as she walked. It curved up over her left shoulder, leaving her right shoulder and arm exposed, and as he leaned slightly to the side, he could see that most of her back was exposed to the air, too. Her hair bounced and flowed as she moved, curling on itself in the gentle breeze, one heavy lock fallen over her right eye. As she approached, he brushed her hair away and folded it behind her ear.

"Wow," was all he managed.

"So," she said, "You have a surprise for me up on the roof."

He nodded, trying desperately to pull his wits back into his head. "You might, um, you might want to leave your shoes."

She cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrow, but she slipped out of her shoes and stood on the hot pavement. "Ow," she said.

"Oh," he blurted, "Sorry, here."

She made a soft sound as he put his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. She put her toes on the top of his shoes and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He took a deep breath.

"Hold on," I said.

He took off.

He lifted gently from the roof, and she pressed to his side instinctively, shoving her head into his shoulder, her eyes wide with alarm. He held her more closely with one arm, and let the other hang free, only for her to grip him all the tighter. The apartment building fell away beneath them and the city unfolded, the lights winking on as it came alive for the night matching the twinkling lights in the sky.

"Wow," she whispered. "Is this what it's like."

"No," said Shinji, "This is what it's like."

Asuka squealed, half in delight and half in terror, as he put his arms around her and took off, the city picking up speed beneath them. He slowed as he neared the edge, putting his feet out to land as he saw the overlook, where he'd shared his conversations with Fuyutsuki. He came in for a gentle, running landing, sliding his arms under Asuka's legs as he came to a stop, to more easily carry her.

"It's a picnic," said Asuka.

He had a blanket laid out, and a basket, and in a bucket of ice, a bottle of what appeared to be champagne. Asuka blinked in surprise as he lowered her to the blanket, holding her side while she steadied herself. She walked to the basket and sat down, and Shinji joined her. From behind it, he pulled a bouquet of flowers and handed it to her. She took it, turning it in her hands.

"I've never seen these before," said Asuka. "What are they?"

"They're Gibraltar Campions," said Shinji. "They grow only the high cliffs of Gibraltar."

"Wow," she said, breathless. "Did you, um,"

"I picked them myself." He grinned. "I got some more of those chocolates you liked, and I have some sparkling grape juice-"

"I thought that was champagne," she said, eyeing the bottle.

"Well, I'm not old enough."

"I don't think anyone would card Superman," said Asuka, leaning over onto one elbow. She flicked the heavy mass of her hair over her shoulder.

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't do that. It… I can't get drunk."

"Have you tried?"

"Well, no, but I'm pretty sure I can't. I don't technically need to eat."

"Huh," said Asuka. "I didn't know that. For someone who doesn't actually need to eat, you're a hell of a cook."

He shrugged. "I get a lot of practice."

"So what's in the basket?"

Grinning, he opened it, and started laying out the spread. Pan-fried potatoes, sausages, pasta salad, cut fruit. Asuka sat up and looked it over hungrily, and then said, "You didn't make anything you like."

He shrugged. "Anything I get to eat with you is something I like."

Asuka actually blushed, and Shinji felt a rising elation flowing through him. She ate demurely, mostly sampling the food and touching her lips with her napkin. Shinji avoided the meat, picking at the potatoes and the pasta salad.

"These are really good," said Asuka. "Where'd you get the potatoes?"

"Idaho," said Shinji.

She stared at him. "If you were anyone else, I'd think you were making fun of me."

He laughed, and she broke out laughing too, falling back onto her side. "This is really nice. Thank you. Today has to be hard for you."

Shinji sighed, shaking with the depth of it. "It is."

Asuka looked away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's okay, said Shinji, I just,-"

"This may sound silly," said Asuka, "But I have this…" her voice tightened. "I think they're watching us, somehow. I can feel it."

Shinji blinked. "I hope so."

"Me too. I want them to see this," she said, and then she kissed him. "Now, take me home. I have something for you, too."

* * *

><p>Misato was dancing with Kaji, and she was fine with that. The band wasn't bad, the lights were low, and her head was on his shoulder. In heels she matched his height. His hand sliding up her bare back as they turned made her shiver. After a time, they were no longer dancing so much as embracing each other while standing up. It was getting late, and most of the other couples on the floor were doing the same thing. The bride and groom had already left, and the party was winding down.<p>

"Katsuragi," Kaji whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Let's say I told you everything. Laid it all out on the table. Do you think there would be a chance?"

"I don't know," she said, thickly. "I want there to be but I don't know. What's changed?"

He took a deep breath. "When you left, I thought it would be for the best. Not at first, but after a while, after I started taking my… work. I thought it would be better if I left you out of it, because I didn't know how deep the rabbit hole goes."

Misato nodded, but said nothing.

"That's changed. There's an end in sight, now. I think things might be different."

"How?"

"I don't know," he sighed, looking at the slowly rotating light on the ceiling. "Sometimes I wonder if there isn't someone watching out for us."

Misato laughed bitterly. "If they do, they did a poor job. I'd rather have skipped Second Impact, thank you."

"Mankind did that to themselves," he whispered, "and someone else took mercy on us, and sent us Shinji."

She sighed, and felt tears stinging the edges of her eyes. "Yeah," she said, "I guess you're right."

"So that's what changed," said Kaji. "After I saw what he could do for myself, I guess… I guess you could say I believe a man can fly."

Misato hugged him tighter. "I think there's a chance."

She could feel him smiling. "That's good, because I am incredibly horny."

Misato burst out laughing, and playfully punched his shoulder.

"He~ey," Ritsuko slurred, appearing behind Misato. "What's funny?"

She was practically dragging poor Maya behind her, although the latter didn't look the worse for wear. Misato had never seen her look so confident of her surroundings.

"Are you okay?" said Kaji.

"You better watch it," Ritsuko growled in mock anger, "I think I've been drinking."

Kaji snorted. "Maya, take her keys."

"Done," said Maya.

They both watched Ritsuko stumble away, half-leaning on Maya, until they made it through the coat check and out the front door. Kaji snickered. "They're totally going to do it."

Misato blew her hair out of her eyes. "Oh shut up, you pervert."

"Oh," said Kaji, "I'm the pervert now."

Misato looked around. They were nearly alone. "Let's get out of here," she said.

"Agreed," said Kaji.

* * *

><p>Asuka kicked out of her heels when they entered the apartment. She headed into the living room and knelt down before the television set, fiddling with Misato's entertainment system. Shinji diverted his attention between staring at the floor and sneaking glances at her undulating back and the waggle of her hips as she moved. She picked up the remote, hit the play button, and soft music played.<p>

"Get over here," she said.

Nervously, Shinji walked over to stand beside her.

"When I told Misato I don't dance, I lied," she admitted, putting one hand on his shoulder. "When I studied for my bachelor's degree, I had to take two physical education classes."

"What did you take?" said Shinji.

"Badminton, and ballroom dancing."

Shinji laughed.

"What?" she demanded. "It was an easy credit."

"I don't really know how to dance," said Shinji.

She grabbed his arm and slipped it around his waist, and took his other hand in hers, twining their fingers together, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. She started to sway with the music, and he moved with her. There wasn't much to it, really. He didn't recognize the music- it was old, and in English, something about an "earth angel".

"They taught you to dance like this?"

"No," said Asuka, "but I would only dance like this with you anyway."

They didn't go far through the dark room, so there were no issues of navigation. It was mostly swaying in one another's arms. Eventually, Asuka slipped her hand free and put both arms around his waist and he did the same as they leaned into each other, resting their heads on one another's shoulders. Shinji had never felt better in his life, even when he first realized he could fly.

"I'm still going to worry about you when you're out saving the world," she murmured.

"You are my world," said Shinji.

"Mmm," she said. "It's time for your surprise."

"I thought this was my surprise," he said.

Asuka looked him in the eye and grinned devilishly. She slid one hand free and worked the zipper down the side of her dress, and with her free hand, worked it off her shoulder, so that it was barely hanging onto her. They stopped swaying as she looked him in the eye. Shinji swallowed, hard, trying to calm his beating heart. She took his hands and worked his fingers for him, gathering up two handfuls of red cloth in either one, around her waist. His heart jumped into his throat, as the dress slid down her arm just a little bit more.

She leaned into him and in his ear whispered, "Pull."

* * *

><p>Misato let the wind blow through her hair. Kaji put the top down, and just drove, drove for the sake of driving. It felt odd that they were both sober, doubly so Misato herself. The air was surprisingly cool, a freak cold front perhaps settling in. In any case, it was welcome. She closed her eyes and pulled her shawl around her shoulders.<p>

Kaji woke her with a sharp turn. She cried out in panic and for a moment, felt stark naked without her gun. It took her a moment to realize he'd only cut hard around a corner, hard enough to make her slide over and crash into him. He was laughing at her reaction to his childish maneuver, and yet she felt heat on her cheeks.

"That's not funny!" she shouted over the wind. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know," Kaji shouted back. "I didn't want to say 'your place or mine,' but…. Your place or mine?"

"I don't know," said Misato. "I don't want to interrupt Asuka and Shinji on their little date."

"Why would they be home?"

"You know how they are," Misato shrugged. "She doesn't like public spectacles."

"You think they'll be okay?"

"Shinji's a perfect gentleman."

"He's not the one I'm worried about."

Misato snorted. "They have to grow up sometime, you know."

"They're growing up too fast," Kaji shouted. "It shouldn't have to be this way. After what we went through, you'd think we would try to change things for the kids."

Misato watched him for a while. He stole glances at her but kept his eye on the road, and it was a good thing. He didn't drive directly to the apartment, but took a winding route through the city, and up into the hills. The roads here were twisty, and instinct guided her to cling to his arm, and she decided it was a good instinct and she should follow it.

"Stop there," she shouted, pointing at a place by the side of the road.

Kaji pulled up to the guard rail. Through the windshield, they had a view of a the whole city, a glittering galaxy of lights through which yet more lights pulsed, moving along the streets in slow rhythm, stopping and starting with lights. The air was cool and smelled of trees and, curiously, of food. Misato sniffed the air.

"That's weird," she muttered.

Kaji shrugged, and put his arm around her as he killed the engine.

"Remember what we used to do in the car?" said Kaji.

"Don't push your luck," Misato said.

Kaji laughed. For a while, neither one of them said anything. Misato was starting to drift off to sleep when she awoke with a start. Something flapped over their heads, making her sit up and reach for her gun again. Kaji ran his hand down her back reassuringly, and then it stopped being reassuring when he reached the bottom of her dress, and it became something else. She wriggled out of his grasp.

"Stop that," she said, sharply. "I heard something."

She pressed back into her seat as she saw it, a flapping shape that cross their field of view, obscuring the moon for just a second. Misato hugged herself.

"Oh relax," said Kaji. "It's just a bat."

Misato shivered. "Okay, I've had enough, take me home."

Kaji sighed, and started the car.

He took the road back into the city with equal verve, the car pitching and yawing as he took the turns. Misato had forgotten that driving could be fun, and doubly so when she wasn't in the driver's seat and could really feel the twists and turns. He took a circuitous route to the apartment, and when he pulled into the parking lot, Misato looked up and saw that her windows were dark, relieved.

Kaji followed her up the stairs, and she was nearly shaking with excitement. She fumbled with her keys, and he made it worse by slipping up behind her and kissing the back of her neck.

"Hurry up."

The door slid open, and they stole inside, quickly depositing their shoes by the door. Misato pulled Kaji along by the wrist. She saw what appeared to be a sequined red dress pooled up near the couch, but Kaji didn't seem to see it and she said nothing. She slid her door open, and pushed him inside. He nearly tripped over a stack of car magazines, fumbling in the dark.

"I see Mount Junk is still intact,"

"Shut up," she snapped, but quietly, and without heat in her voice. She pressed herself to him as she reached up over her shoulders, arching her back, and slowly undid the ribbon at her throat. Her dress went limp, and the pressure between them was then the only thing holding it up. She put her arms around his neck, and touched her forehead to his, standing on her toes.

"There hasn't been anyone since you," she whispered.

"Same," he said.

"There's a bed in here somewhere."

He grinned. "We'll find it."

* * *

><p>Hyuga was asleep again when Fuyutsuki walked loudly onto the lower section of the bridge. Aoba reached over and nudged his chair, and the bespectacled technician nearly fell out of it, and nearly fell over himself.<p>

"Calm down," Fuyutsuki said. "I thought since you couldn't attend the evening's festivities, I might do you a favor."

In his right hand, gripped between his fingers, he held two short glasses. He put them on the console and then took the bottle of whisky he held under his arms and poured them both three fingers. They looked at him in confusion as he held the bottle.

"I'd rather not drink alone," he explained.

Aoba and Hyuga took their glasses, and raised them. Fuyutsuki touched his bottle to their glasses, and as they drained them, he took a long pull, wincing from the smoky bite of the spirit. He shook his head a little, and poured them both another round.

They raised their glasses again.

"Shouldn't we toast something?" said Hyuga.

"The bride, I guess," said Aoba.

"No," said Fuyutsuki, touching his bottle to their glasses. "She's gotten enough toasts tonight. One more won't be missed. To absent friends."

"I'll drink to that," said Hyuga.

And they did.

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<em>

**Last Child of Krypton**

**S**

_Chapter Thirteen: I've heard there was a secret chord,_

_that David played and it pleased the Lord_


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Misato stared down at the mountain of papers on her desk and took a long drink of foul tasting canned coffee, from a can that had been sitting out on the desk since she last saw it. She flopped down in her chair, leaned back, and groaned. Shinji would be of no help, since the school had just finished transferring into the unused warehouse they would be using until the regular building was repaired or replaced, which would probably be never, since there was no budget for anything. Somehow, bizarrely, the entire installation's budget had been cut, despite the need to re-arm the defensive positions, somehow repair the cavern wall where the angel had tunneled through it, and perform a dozen minor repairs and upgrades all around the base.<p>

Somehow, as operations director, the problem of conjuring this funding from somewhere had fallen on her. Worst of all, she had two days to prepare for an activation test, and the Commander had insisted, in light of how the previous tests had gone, that it be conducted in the open air cage at the Matsushiro facility. Most of the equipment was already there, but she was constantly being pestered by everyone to the drivers of the trucks moving the umbilical apparatus to a store owner whose cat was run over by a trailer bearing a heavy Evangelion locking pin. The Eva was already standing in the cage, locked down and covered with a tarp.

When Ritsuko opened her door and barged right in, Misato both welcomed and resented the intrusion, until the scientist closed the door, bolted it, and then pulled Misato's beaten guest chair across the floor and pushed the back under the doorknob. She pulled a folder out from under her arm and passed it over the desk to Misato without speaking.

"What's this?"

"The Marduk Institute report identifying the Fourth Child," said Ritsuko.

"Fourth Child?" said Misato. "Why? Can't we just have Nagisa do it?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "No. I asked Ikari that same question and the answer was categorically negative. On top of that, he insisted I unfreeze Unit Two and move it back to the cage immediately. I have the techs down there doing it now."

Misato looked at the folder with apprehension. She knew that all of the kids in the pilot's class were candidates, whatever that meant. It always seemed a little suspicious to her that the Institute only seemed to identify a Child precisely when they needed one, and they never bothered to notify them about Kaworu at all- his paperwork showed up a week before he did, out of the blue, the same as any other inter-departmental mail.

She opened the folder, and her eyes went wide.

"This has got to be a mistake," said Misato.

Ritsuko shook her head. "I… " she leaned closer. _Not here,_ she mouthed.

Misato bit her lip as she read the name at the top of the page again, as if it would change to grant her wishes, but it was there plainly, as unforgiving as if it were etched in stone. Designated Fourth Child.

Hikari Horaki.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Ritsuko nodded. "So do I. I had an idea."

"Yeah?"

"I think it might be a good idea for Asuka to skip school that morning."

Misato sighed, and nodded. "I'll have the others on standby, too. I'll leave a written order that Unit Two is not to be deployed without direct authorization from me."

"Good luck," said Ritsuko, rising. "He'll just ignore you. I have to go. I have to go down to the school and bring this girl into the office and tell her she's being drafted to pilot that thing."

* * *

><p>The sense of normalcy was of great comfort as Hikari took attendance on her clipboard and bustled around the room. It wasn't a room, per se, but a partitioned section of warehouse floor marked off with carpeted room dividers, the kind commonly used in offices. There was a rolling blackboard, the kind that flipped around, up at the front, and only enough desks for the number of students they had, which was around ten. There were no windows to view trees outside, and there would be no gym classes. The schedule was shortened accordingly, as an emergency provision, although no one seemed to mind.<p>

She couldn't help but smile. They were subtle about it, or thought they were subtle, but Shinji and Asuka were clinging to each other like wet grass. Nothing that violated the school's rules about public displays of affection of course, Hikari wouldn't have that, but they walked in step now, rather than Shinji following three steps behind, and their hands would brush against each other. They sat next to one another, and Shinji craned his neck to look at something on Asuka's screen.

In the end, though, Shinji and Asuka could have had a full makeout session on the floor for all that Hikari could pay attention. She was distracted by Toji, constantly nervously glancing at her and looking away whenever she returned his gaze. She'd already agreed to go out with him again, but it didn't seem to calm his nerves any. Kensuke looked more downcast than usual. He hadn't even bothered opening his computer and was just leaning on his hand, glancing every once in a while at Rei, who seemed bewildered without her favorite tree to stare at.

The display she earned when she called for the class to stand, bow, and sit was meager. Only two others had shown up, outside their little group, and she had to tick off the absences of the others. Word would probably come down today or tomorrow that they'd withdrawn, and their families were moving away. Tokyo-3 had never felt like a bustling place to her, but it was emptier now than ever, and she felt nervous walking to school, if only a little.

The first teacher started up with the same boring, rambling lecture about the Post-Impact Wars, somehow managing to pick up where he left off, which was simple since he never seemed to get anywhere near a point. Hikari flipped up her laptop lid and logged into the chat, only to be surprised by how slow it was. It made sense, given how few students were present that day. She leaned on her hand and looked up at the lights hanging high overhead on the open ceiling and tried not to fall asleep.

It took her a minute to realize that even the teacher had gone silent. She glanced down at the computer's clock. Two hours had passed, and she must have nodded off. She sat up, and saw a woman in a lab coat and a Nerv badge that she'd never seen before standing in the entrance to the classroom, a folder tucked under one arm. A quick glance over her shoulder, and she could see that Asuka recognized her.

"I'm here for Hikari Horaki," the woman said, quietly.

Trembling, Hikari stood up, and pressed down the lid of her laptop. She glanced back at Asuka, and saw the color had drained from the other girl's face. Shinji was glancing around nervously, and even Rei took notice, sitting up from where she was fiddling with her computer. Hikari gave them a week wave and followed the woman out into the "hall", which was basically a space between the partitioned rooms. The high ceilings and tight quarters between the wall partitions made the space feel huge and confined at the same time.

"Do you know who I am?"

Hikari shook her head.

"My name is Ritsuko. It's okay, you're not in trouble."

Hikari relaxed a little, but there was something in the way she said it that suggested it wasn't quite true, a faint tick of her eyebrow. They walked together until they turned into the small area the school had turned into an impromptu office. Hikari felt a twinge in her neck when she saw that it was empty; everyone had cleared out. Ritsuko put her folder down on the a table and motioned for Hikari to sit down beside her.

"Do you know what the Marduk Institute is?"

"No, ma'am," said Hikari. She glanced at the badge she wore. "Uh, Doctor."

Ritsuko slid the folder across the table to her. "The Institute is a group of scientists who examine potential candidates for the Evangelion program. You have been chosen as the best potential pilot for Evangelion Unit Three."

Hikari tried to say something, but nothing came out. She was at once seized by excitement and fear, her stomach doing flips as it tried to climb up into her throat and freeze into a ball all at once. Ritsuko frowned, and touched her hand.

"You don't have to do this."

"I don't?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "We can find someone else. You don't have to."

"Do you know who would take my place?"

"No," said Ritsuko. "They don't tell me until a pilot is chosen. I don't know what to tell you."

Hikari opened the folder, running her fingers along the pages of the heavy papers inside. It was a contract. The signature lines were on the front page. Her father had already signed at the bottom, and dated, the ink smeared slightly where his hand had passed across it. She stared at the blank signature line and just felt cold.

"So if I don't do it," she said, "You'll get someone else."

Ritsuko nodded.

"Someone like me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Another kid?"

Ritsuko sighed. "Yes. Only children can pilot the Evas. I'm sorry."

Hikari picked the pen up off the table and held it in her hand. The smooth black plastic didn't have an answer. She put her hand on the paper and let the tip of the pen just hover there for a moment, while she thought about it.

"What are all these papers?"

"Terms of the contract. You'll be given a…" Ritsuko's voice caught a little, "a full scholarship, transfer to any school, and a salary."

Hikari touched the pen to the paper. "I don't know what to do."

"It's dangerous," said Ritsuko. "I'm not going to lie to you about the risks. If you sign those papers you'll be required to pilot the Evangelion in an activation test in two days. So far, we've had two major emergencies during these types of tests."

Hikari hesitated. It was as if the woman was trying to convince her not to sign. "But if I don't do it, someone else will have to."

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "Unfortunately."

Hikari sighed, and then she signed the paper. Her signature was off kilter and shaky, and she didn't so much put the pen down as drop it. She folded her hands on the table and twined her fingers together to stop them from shaking.

"I'll do it," she said, quietly."

Ritsuko stared at the signature. "Are you sure? You can still change your mind."

Hikari looked at her feet. "I'm not going to change my mind."

Ritsuko folded the papers back up and took them. "I'm the head of Project E, Hikari. I'm going to oversee the activation personally. I'll take care of you, I promise."

"Can I go back to class, now?"

"I… I'm afraid not. I have to take you with me. We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

><p>Asuka ran so fast, Shinji nearly forgot to pretend he was having trouble keeping up. She jumped the turnstile that led into the Geofront entrance, and the guard at the gate gave him <em>that look<em> as he did the same, but waved them on with a sort of bemused indifference; it wasn't the first time either of them had ignored the nonsensical security measures. In those of moments of supreme clarity that came only during times of stress, he wondered what the hell the turnstiles were actually _for._

"Slow down," he called, already knowing it was pointless.

She didn't stop until she was in the tram car, panting. Shinji didn't bother faking fatigue anymore, but sat down beside her as she flopped in the seat. She finally managed to get enough breath to speak.

"I will not calm down," she said sharply, crossing her arms. "Akagi just kidnapped my best friend."

The ride down into the Geofront was long, and tense. Asuka held her head up, but he could tell she was upset in a hundred subtle ways, from the way she wrung her hands to the way the toes on her left foot curled and uncurled. When the tram car stopped, she jumped up and stalked out onto the platform, and he rushed to follow. The second security check waved them on, and they were in the cold corridors of Nerv headquarters.

Shinji followed her to Ritsuko's lab, only to find it unoccupied. A technician in the hallway said that Ritsuko was down in the cages, so Asuka headed there. Shinji touched her arm, she nodded, and he headed for Misato's office. He stopped at the door and knocked, and headed inside. She was poring over some paperwork, checking off boxes with a pen, and looked immensely tired. When she looked up and saw him, she dropped her pen.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing she said. "It's not my decision."

Shinji pinched his nose and adjusted his glasses. "Whose is it?"

Misato shook her head slightly, and a chill ran down his spine. He looked around the room, not at the walls but through them, and saw his suspicions were well founded. There wasn't a listening device, there were three listening devices, but no cameras, thankfully. He touched his finger to his lips, and then to his ear, and pointed them out. Misato blinked in surprise.

_I thought there was one,_ she mouthed.

Shinji shrugged.

She nodded. "Ultimately, it's her decision. I don't know how pilot candidates are chosen; it's above my pay grade."

She took a random sheet of paper and scrawled a note on it. _I want you to be there._

He nodded vigorously.

* * *

><p>Hikari was still fumbling with the thing they called a <em>plugsuit<em>. The one they'd given her was black, and it seemed surprisingly bulky. She shrugged it into it, pulled it up around her neck, and it just hug there limp, like a empty bag, the sleeves dangling loosely over her arms. She had to struggle to keep it upright. She felt exposed, which made sense given that she was naked underneath of it.

She almost jumped out of the suit when Asuka stormed into the locker room.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Putting on this plugsuit," said Hikari, "The one they gave me is too big, I think I need a new one."

Asuka sighed deeply and rubbed at her temples. "Change out of that. We're leaving."

"What?"

"You're not going to be a pilot. I forbid it."

"Huh?" said Hikari. "You can't do that."

"Yes, I can," said Asuka. "I don't want you to pilot, it's too dangerous."

"I made my decision," said Hikari.

Asuka didn't seem impressed. "This is ridiculous, we already _have _a spare pilot."

"No, we don't," said Ritsuko.

The older woman looked tired, Hikari saw, even more so than she did that morning. Asuka rounded on her, planting her fists on her hips.

"What do you mean? Get Nagisa off his worthless ass and put him in that thing."

"That's not an option," said Ritsuko, her voice tight. "The Commander has expressly forbidden it. He's grounded."

Asuka huffed, but shrank back.

"Hikari," said Ritsuko, "I don't want to rush you, but we need to get you into the test plug. I want you to be clear on the process before we perform any actual tests."

Hikari nodded, watched Ritsuko leave, and sighed.

"How, uh, how does this work?"

Asuka looked vacant as she gathered the sleeves of the suit up around Hikari's wrists, then held up her left arm. "There's a switch here, on the wrist. Press it to compress the suit."

Hikari touched the button. There was a hiss and a rush of air blowing up out of the neck of the suit over her face, rushing up her nose. It made her want to sneeze. The material shifted and moved on its own, slapping tightly against her body. She felt it cinch up between her legs and around her back and over her chest and yelped. She stared down at herself in disbelief.

"I can't wear this!"

"Wait here," said Asuka.

A moment later, she returned with a robe.

"Oh," said Hikari, "They didn't say there were robes."

"They don't give you one," Asuka said absently, "This one is mine."

"Oh," said Hikari, shrugging into the robe. She pulled the fuzzy collar tightly around her neck. "Thank you."

"No problem," Asuka said absently.

"Are you made at me?"

Asuka blinked. "No," she said. "Come on, I'll walk you over to the test plug."

"I don't like this suit," Hikari mused, shuffling along in her borrowed robe. "Are they always like this?"

"Yeah," said Asuka. "It's like a wetsuit, there's some survival and monitoring junk in the chest, a lot of boring science stuff. Be thankful, the original plan was for us to go naked."

Hikari's eyes widened.

"I'm kidding," said Asuka. "I'm used to it. I've been wearing one of those since I was nine."

"Wow," said Hikari. "I never really thought about it before. This place is kind of scary."

Hikari continued on, and Asuka grabbed her shoulder. They stood at the end of a much larger space. Asuka moved next to her, and put her hands on both shoulders.

"Hold on," she said. "You need to prepare yourself. It gets to some people, seeing them up close."

Hikari blinked, and they walked on. When she stepped out into the vast open air of the cage, she gasped. There was a _cloud_ along the ceiling, a thin wisp of mist that hung around the lights, fuzzing them. The space was dominated by huge alcoves- only two of them were occupied. She could see the purple and green armor of Unit One poking out of one of them, but when she walked further along the walkway, dangling high above a seemingly infinite sea of red liquid that smelled like blood, she recoiled from it.

She'd seen them at a distance before, in pictures, but up close, it was so _wrong_, like the angles of the armor didn't quite match up, and she felt like it was watching her. Its eyes were hidden behind two huge lenses, and seeing herself reflected in them, it felt like it was focusing on her no matter where she stood. Asuka took her by the hand and pulled her along, and Hikari relaxed a little.

Until it _moved._

A groaning sound filled the huge space, spilling across the walls and returning as an echo. The Eva's head swung ever so slightly, and Hikari strangled a cry in her throat, clasping her hand over her mouth. Asuka hugged her tightly.

"It's okay," she said, surprisingly gently, at least for her. "A temperature differential in the neck makes it do that sometimes. It's just a machine, I promise."

Hikari nodded and walked on, stumbling a little. Her legs felt heavy. She wanted to ask Asuka the question, but she didn't dare, for fear of the answer.

If it was just a machine, why was it breathing?

* * *

><p>Misato was running on coffee and about three hours of sleep in two days. She probably shouldn't have been driving, but then, there were people who would have said that of her regardless. She wished that Shinji was old enough and then snickered at the absurdity of it. Why would he bother driving? He'd probably never go through the trouble of getting a license. He was sitting in the passenger's seat, for once. Asuka was back at Nerv, along with Rei, and Misato shuddered to think of him, Kaworu. She hunched forward over the wheel like an old woman and stared at the road.<p>

Shinji looked up the slope at the testing facility. It was a huge operation, essentially an Evangelion cage built into a hillside, along with the entire massive infrastructure that required. There was a whole series of power transformers for the umbilical system and a thousand other wires, connecting the systems at the remote site back to the monitoring systems at headquarters, all dangling from towers that swayed in the wind. The road leading into the facility sloped steeply upwards, and Misato took off her ID badge and set it on the dashboard, and then turned up the air conditioning.

"Are you cold?" she asked.

Shinji looked at her blankly. "Oh, right. Must be nice."

He shrugged.

"You're worried," she said, mostly because talking helped keep her from nodding off and driving down the hillside. "I can tell you're worried."

He must have been, since he didn't reply to her.

"Listen to me," she said, dumbly. "I sound like an old lady. You'd think I was your mother."

He did look at her then. "I wish you were," he said, quietly.

Misato blinked. "Uh," she said, "I-"

"The road!" he shouted, yanking the wheel.

The car swerved and the tires squealed. As she worked the wheel back and forth to even the car out. There were some stares as she pulled up to the security checks, a pair of booths with armed guards standing. Instead of the standard scissor bar, there was a heavy set of iron columns that sank into the ground when they buzzed her in. She waved when she drove through, then risked leaning back in her seat. Somehow, there was traffic, winding the rest of the way up the mountain.

She pulled the car in behind the others, and yawned deeply.

"Do you think anyone would notice if I, uh," Shinji gestured upwards with his hands.

Misato sighed. "Bad idea."

He shrugged.

She reached over and tugged at his collar. After his old suit was destroyed, he made a new one. Ritsuko gave him the plugsuit material and he dyed it himself, turning it a rich blue, and sewed the emblem on and added a thin pair of red boots made of the same stuff and what Misato insisted on calling Red Underpants. One change he made this time was cutting the sleeves short enough that he could wear it under his regular school uniform, with only a tiny bit of blue poking out around his neck if he didn't button his top button.

"No one is going to be looking at me," he said absently.

"You're worried," Misato insisted again.

"Remember what happened to Rei, and then the incident with Unit Two," said Shinji, avoiding Kaworu's name.

"Well, we fixed that," said Misato, "Unit Two is up and running, apparently."

It sounded half-hearted, she knew it. Shinji looked at her, and she saw a cloud in his eyes.

They advanced a few yards. Misato was tempted to put the car in park. "Watcha thinkin'?"

"I was just thinking about something," said Shinji. "Something about the Evas. It doesn't matter."

Misato eyed him for a while, and then focused on her driving, such as it was.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki took a drink, the last swig of whisky in his bottle, as a point of fact, to calm his jangled nerves. Something about the activation test set him on edge. He had a sneaking suspicion about why Unit Two would have rejected Kaworu so violently, and if his suspicions were correct, the girl would have no problem piloting Unit Three. Still, a bit of worry was a healthy thing to have at Nerv, as was the gun he had tucked in his pocket, concealed by his jacket. He kept his hand on that gun as he walked out of his office.<p>

He didn't have anywhere to go, exactly; the one perk his position had was the lack of any actual duties to perform, save when some actual work, usually something profoundly boring and innocuous, found its way to Gendo and had to be delegated. At times like this, when there was something on the horizon that bothered him, he would rise and let his feet carry him where they willed. It was a technique he often used when he was still a professor. A difficult page from a paper he was working on or a disagreement with a colleague or the frustration of a belligerent student would evaporate after a few hours of aimless walking as his mind drifted and he could see new possibilities.

One day all the new possibilities went away, but the habit remained. He ended up standing in the elevator with a very nervous Maya Ibuki.

"Lieutenant," said Fuyutsuki.

"Sir," said Ibuki, looking absently at her feet.

"You seem distracted. Is there a probem?"

"No, sir. Well, there is, but-"

"Well?" said Fuyutsuki.

"I'm nervous, sir."

Fuyutsuki nodded, and bobbed on his feet. "Why would you be nervous?"

"Doctor Akagi isn't here," said Maya. "If something goes wrong, I'm on my own."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. She is very confident in your abilities. Your performance reviews are all glowing."

"Thank you sir," said Maya, before she scurried through an open elevator door.

Fuyutsuki considered following her, thought about touring the bridge, and decided against it. He would be seeing it later, as the authority in the room while the installation went on standby during the test. It would involve a great deal of standing silently until nothing happened, before he went home for the evening. He let the elevator continue on, until the doors opened.

Into the elevator stepped Kaworu Nagisa.

Fuyutsuki stiffened. He'd only heard rumors and innuendos, never seen the boy in person. His crimson eyes flashed, and he stood in an easy manner, leaning on the wall, staring at nothing. Every few seconds, his eyes flicked to Fuyutsuki and back to the wall. He pushed the button for the cage levels.

"I'm told you've been returned to active status," said Fuyutsuki.

"That is correct."

"I see," said Fuyutsuki. "Well, hopefully we won't need your services today, eh?"

"Hopefully," said the boy, smiling secretly to himself. "Excuse me."

The doors opened. Fuyutsuki let him leave and then stood there for a moment, before he walked out onto the cage level himself. He veered away from where Unit Two now stood and headed for Unit One's cage. Some small part of him hoped that the alleged temperature differential would produce a movement from the huge machine as he entered the vast space, but it was as still as a stone and silent as the grave. It stared down at him with dull black lenses that took everything in, and he stared back, fancying that if he stared hard enough, he could see Yui's face somewhere within. He leaned on the railing and watched the Evangelion for a while.

He felt a presence to his left.

The girl leaned on the railing beside him, and didn't speak. She was dressed in her plugsuit under a white terrycloth robe, and looked both eager and apprehensive. He could hear the creak of her gloves as she gripped the railing tightly, as if she feared falling, or else it was the neck of someone for whom she held a special distaste. Fuyutsuki straightened.

"Everything will be fine," said Fuyutsuki.

"Every time we have an activation test, an angel shows up," she girl observed, leaning on her hand.

"True," said Fuyutsuki. "You're worried for your friend."

She didn't answer him.

After a while she said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

She stood up, but didn't look in his direction. "What you said. You were right. I was being stupid."

"You weren't being stupid," said Fuyutsuki. "You were being anything but stupid. I just hope everything works out for the two of you."

She nodded.

He looked at her. Her profile was familiar, and she hadn't put the clips in her hair yet, and so it hung down around her face in loose waves, the same way that Kyoko wore it. He leaned on the railing until she turned slightly as she noticed his attention.

"What?"

"Has anyone ever told you how much you look like your mother?"

She froze, then slowly turned away from him. "Maybe," she said. "Did you know her?"

"Well," said Fuyutsuki. "She worked her for several years before she relocated your family to the Berlin facility. She designed many of the systems the Evangelions used. I still remember the first time I met her. She was in coveralls, her hair tied up in a bun, and covered in so much grease she had to use a mop to get it all off. She crawled out of Unit One's knee joint and offered to shake my hand. I declined."

Asuka smirked. "Tell me more."

"She was good friends and bitter rivals with Shinji's mother. They always worked to outdo each other, to be the first to solve this or that problem. They'd get into screaming arguments and then go out drinking with each other while Gendo and your father sulked at home."

He saw her smirking, and went on. "You know, they drafted me to watch you now and then."

"Huh?"

He nodded. "They were both such busy women, and loved their children deeply, but there was so much to be done." He took a deep breath. "Someone had the idea that because I was a college professor once, I was basically the same as a teacher and would be good with children."

"I can't really see that."

"I had the same objection, but there I was, watching you and Shinji roll around in a 'play pen.'" He said the words as if they belonged to a foreign tongue.

"I don't remember that."

"You were too young. You don't remember living in Japan when you were younger, do you?"

"I left before I learned how to read," Asuka shrugged. "I grew up speaking German."

"So, you wouldn't remember the spider."

She leaned on the railing. "What spider?"

"A fairly large hairy eight-legged gentleman once crawled into said playpen while I was asleep. Shinji was terrified of it."

"Did you kill it?"

"No, you did. You picked up a toy truck and beat it to death. The poor thing was dead for five minutes while you were pounding on it."

She laughed, and there was something refreshing in it. "He's not afraid of spiders anymore."

"No," said Fuyutsuki, "I suppose he wouldn't be."

The both laughed at that.

"I should go," he said. "You'll be wanting to prepare for synchronization, soon. The test will begin shortly. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"I hope so," she said, absently.

* * *

><p>Hikari was alone in the small changing room that, paradoxically, doubled as an elevator, carrying her up to Unit Three. She thought it was odd that Ritsuko actually asked her what color she wanted her plugsuit, and that she got what she requested. Now that she looked at it, holding it up in front of her, she regretted just saying "Yellow". Her hands were shaking when she threw it over the bench and started to undress, slipping out of her school uniform. It was cold in the elevator, and she shivered as she pulled the suit on, bring it up around her shoulders. She wondered how Asuka managed with her long hair. This time, she managed to find the button but still yelped when the suit compressed around herself. Lying on the bench were a pair of nerve clips, heavy round ones with tiny triangles of metal protruding from the top, like antennae. When she pulled her hair back and slipped them in, she looked at herself in the mirror and, absurdly, her first thought was that it made her look like a catgirl.<p>

The phone rang. She picked it up and put it to her, minding the cord. A corded phone was a weird thing to begin with.

"Um, hello? Do I have to say 'over'?"

"No, Hikari," said Misato. "I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Fine, I guess," Hikari said, glumly. "I can still go to school, right? I mean when I'm not piloting?"

"Of course," said Misato. "Asuka does, and so does Rei."

"I won't have time to be Class Representative anymore, though."

"I know," said Misato, "I'm sorry about that. We can put you on standby, status, maybe."

"That's okay," said Hikari. "I wouldn't want o inconvenience anyone."

"You won't. You remember what to do."

Hikari nodded, remembered she was on the phone and said, "Yes, I remember."

She hung up, and the elevator slowed, then came to a stop. When it opened, a blast of wind hit her, and she instinctively grabbed the guard rails. The gantry that led to the entry plug hung over the vast space of the open air cage, and though it was mostly shielded, a strong breeze swept across it. She closed her eyes, held the railings, and walked slowly, one foot in front of another, until she reached the stairs. She climbed them carefully, gripping the railings for dear life, until she could grab the edge of the plug hatch and drop in. Her feet slipped a little on the curved inside of the plug, but she kept her balance.

"I can't believe I'm really doing this," she said, to no one in particular.

Once she was in the seat, she pulled the control yoke down until it clicked, locking her legs into the stirrups. She took a deep breath, waited, and tried to relax as the plug rang with the hollow sound of LCL flowing in around her. It was cold and the cold bit her through the suit immediately, and it got worse when it touched her face. They were quick about the process, though, and it quickly warmed enough to be comfortable. She opened her eyes, wincing at the expecting sting from water, but felt nothing. Finally, as her lungs started to burn, she had to breath out. She blew a great cloud of bubbles, then leaned back, fought her gag reflex, and breathed in.

She managed to only cough a little as the fluid flooded her lungs. It felt heavy and sticky, like she had a cold, and she didn't like it very much. She jumped when Misato started talking and the sound came from inside her head, the woman's image superimposed on the world in front of her- again, it was a purely mental projection.

"We're starting synchronization. It'll be just like we practiced, okay? Stay calm."

Hikari nodded. It still felt too weird to talk. She leaned back and tried not to move as she felt the curiously itchy sensation of something sliding up her back and tingling at the base of her neck and on the top of her head, where the clips were. It was like someone was pulling on them. The next phase started, the flash of colors on the inside of the plug, strands of hue floating on the LCL itself as her visual processes adjusted to a second set of inputs. The last stage was the strangest, the sudden doubling, as she felt aliens sensations in her arms and legs. She could feel herself restrained by bolts running into her arms and legs, but she could still move.

Ritsuko spoke with the most profound sense of relief.

"Hikari, you have achieved successful synchronization. All of our boards are green, and you have completed the third stage connection with a synchronization ratio of twenty-three percent. You're not combat ready yet, but that's fairly impressive for a first time."

Hikari smiled with relief. "Wow," she finally managed, confused by the thickness of her own voice. "Thank you."

"Wait," Ritsuko shouted, cutting her off. "There's something wrong! Shut it down! _Shut it down!" _

A lance of ice shot through the base of her skull, and Hikari screamed.

* * *

><p>It all happened at once. Hikari's scream, high and gurgling from the LCL, rang through the small control room of the Matsushiro facility. Unit Three rose up on its heels, tore free of the cage locks, pulling the mounts along with them, and threw back its head. It struggled against the empty air, then reached up and began tearing at its own helmet. It ripped a section of armor plating loose, threw its head back once more, and through a bleeding mouth filled with jagged red teeth, it roared.<p>

"What the hell is going on?" Misato shouted, turning to Ritsuko.

"It's not the Eva!" Ritsuko screamed, "There's a blue pattern! _There's an angel in-" _

Unit Three lashed out, grabbing a section of the superstructure of the cage, and threw it. Shinji watched it tumble through the air in slow motion. He moved forward, his limbs moving with lightning speed through the air as everything else moved with languid slowness, as he unleashed the full power of his nervous system. He had but to pay attention to the world, and it slowed down. He took Misato first, scooped her up by her waist, spun around, and yanked Ritsuko's chair away from the console. She fell from it, reaching for empty air, her cry of alarm drawn out into a slow bellow. He put his arm under her shoulders, pushed both women together as hard as he dared, and flexed his back to shield them as much as he could. The debris hit the entire sloping wall of the crater where the facility had been built and scraped the control room from the earth like a weed. He felt it crashing against his back and pushed against it, lifting off from the ground.

He lighted on the rim. The rest of the control structure was hanging by thin threads of steel, like a spider-web of sliver hanging on the inside of the hollow mountain. He lowered the two women to the ground and let himself focus on them. The world resumed normal speed.

"Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so," said Misato, "Oh God, Hikari-"

"I'll get her," said Shinji, "Call it in, get some medics out here. I have to go, those people down there are dead if I don't get them off those platforms."

"Go," Ritsuko shouted, "I have my phone, _go!"_

The debris had started the process, shredding open the back of his shirt. His cape fell free and flapped in the wind. He grabbed the rest and just tore it off, shirt and pants and shoes and all, and when he reached up to take off his glasses, they came away too easy. One of the earpieces had sheared off, and the lenses were cracked. He dropped them to the ground beside Misato and dove into the crater.

He didn't have much time, and he knew it. He went under the first platform, thought about lifting it to the rim of the crater, but if he did, the rest would fall away into the open space. Instead, he pushed it back into place, the metal squealing, and focused his gaze on the places where the metal had torn into shining ribbons. It sizzled with a heat patina, then turned red hot and pressed back together.

He rose into the view of the technicians on the platform. "I don't know how long that's going to hold," he shouted, "Get out while you can!"

They nodded, tossed down their hard hats, and ran for the escape ladders. He did the same thing, platform, as rapidly as he dared. He had to be quick, but he couldn't abandon these people to die. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Unit Three crest the rim of the crater, scrabbling over it like an animal. The Evangelion reached the limit of the shortened testing umbilical, ripped it from its back, and sniffed it like a beast before tossing it back down. Then, it sank down into a crouch and leapt out, landing in the fields on the other side with a great spray of debris and mud.

There were five more platforms. He held the last one, the lowest one, while the technicians evacuated it. When the last of them were safe he let go, and the entire structure groaned, shrieked, and twisted down into the bottom of the crater, folding in on itself. He bobbed in the air, took a deep breath, and headed for Unit Three.

The Evas had been deployed.

All three of them.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki was sweating. He stood behind Gendo, and watched his superior tense as the three Evas reached the surface and began moving forward in a loose formation, Unit One taking point, arms held out like a wrestler. He could see the faces of the three pilots on the screen. Kaworu looked almost happy, his lips curling into a near-smile, excitement in his eyes. Rei was less serene than usual, her eyes darting back and forth. Asuka was fury incarnate, her face frozen in a grimace of pure rage.<p>

"Okay," she said, "This is a search and rescue operation. Nagisa, you're on backup. Keep your ass out of this until I order you in. Rei, you're with me. I'm going to restrain it; I want you to retrieve the entry plug."

"Understood," said Rei.

"I don't take orders from you," said Kaworu.

"You do if you want to keep your gonads," Asuka shouted, rounding on the space in her vision where she must have seen his image. "Now shut the hell up until I give you permission to talk, freak."

Kaworu seemed, if anything, amused.

Fuyutsuki let himself hope a little. Asuka and Rei were a team, they knew each other's fighting styles and movements. Even in her absence, Katsuragi's influence could be felt. They might make it out of this alive, and pull the new pilot free. If they could get her plug to safety, she would survive.

If they couldn't, Gendo would have him write the letter.

As if he knew Fuyutsuki thought about him, Gendo lowered his hands from his mouth, and sat up.

"Pilot Soryu, you are not in command here. I am. Your mission is to destroy the designated target."

"The designated target still has a pilot in it," Asuka said angrily, "We have to get her out."

Gendo's face was a mask. "She is expendable. Unit Three is lost to us. You will terminate it."

"No," Asuka said sharply.

Fuyutsuki felt his fists clench involuntarily as the ebon form of Unit Three appeared at the edge of the camera system's sight. It scrabbled like an animal, almost spider-like, limbs bending at impossible angles. It _hissed _ and snaked around the three evas.

"I'm going in," said Asuka.

"Pilot Soryu," said Gendo. "You will-"

Asuka ignored him and charged, his voice drowned out by her screaming.

Shigeru Aoba straightened in his seat. "Sir, I have a small object on radar, I think it's Superman-"

"Irrelevant," said Gendo. "Be silent."

Fuyutsuki moved closer to him. "Ikari, there is still a chance we could-"

Gendo silence him with a look.

Unit One advanced on the rogue Eva, crouched, and charged. Unit Three danced back, avoiding her grasp, but was not so clever as it thought, as Unit Zero shoulder-checked it, knocking it off balance. Unit One struck Unit Three in its midsection as it stood up, then grabbed its forearms, dragging it in a lazy circle as it twisted. The rogue unit's mouth worked and spewed horrid sounds, ancient cries of hate from another world. It lanced forward, snapping at Unit One like an animal.

Rei moved around beside it, then behind it, and roughly grabbed the Evangelion by the neck. She struggled with the armor plating. It came away in strips, held to the Eva's body by a sort of glue, long thin strands of a luminous blue material. She was grunting with effort.

"I cannot reach the plug," she said, scraping at the mass of the substance.

Unit Three snarled, its head spun around one hundred and eighty degrees, and it bit Unit Zero in the face, gory red jaws cracking down on the white face plate. Rei screamed, dropped the control yoke, and scrabbled at her face, writhing in her seat. Asuka looked over to her side, tensed, and bit her lip as she wrestled free, grabbed Unit Zero, and shoved her back, out of the creature's grasp.

"Rei's lost her optics," Maya Ibuki said, almost absently. "She can't see."

"Rei," Asuka said sharply, grunting as she twisted against Unit Three, "Get out of here, fall back. Do you hear me? Fall back."

"I cannot," said Rei, "I will compensate."

"No, it's too dangerous, you-"

Unit Three's arm shot out and took Unit Zero by the wrist as it shouldered Unit One away. It pulled Rei around, slammed her to the ground, and bit into her wrist. Rei yelped in pain, grabbing at her arm, and twisted sharply in her seat, wriggling out of the control yoke. Thick blue foam was dribbling down Unit Zero's forearm plating, mingled with the Eva's rich red blood.

Gendo tensed.

Rei rolled, pulled her arm free with a shout, and stumbled backwards, clutching her own arm against her chest as she held the Eva's at length, stumbling away from the battle.

"Rei, get out of here," Asuka shouted, slamming into Unit Three.

"Blow the connections on Unit Zero's left arm, " said Gendo.

"But sir," said Maya, "Rei is still synched, she'll feel it if I-"

"_Do it," _ Gendo snarled, rising to his feet.

Maya shook as she typed in the commands. The explosive bolts blew at once, and Unit Zero's one arm dangled for a moment from bits of stretched out flesh, bone, and cables until it fell free, hitting the earth with a dull thud. Screaming, Rei fell backwards, the Eva carving a rent in the hillside beneath it.

"Pilot Soryu," Gendo said, insistently, "You must destroy it. _Now." _

Asuka dodged the Eva's snapping jaws, scraping her fingers uselessly against its back. Unit Three's fingers erupted in long claws, gleaming silvery in the sun, and lashed out. Three razor sharp blades pierced through Unit One's thigh and out the other side, coated in red. Asuka gurgled in pain, her lip bleeding from the force with which she bit down on it. She set her jaw and redouble her efforts, pulling the offending claws free, struggling with the enemy's hands.

In reply, Unit Three's shoulder pylons burst apart, and two long limbs of slippery gray flesh grew forth from the joints, and the hands locked around Unit One's throat. Asuka was shoved back in her seat, and deep impressions formed around her neck from the synchronization. Through all of this, Kaworu stood, and did nothing.

"Pilot Soryu," said Gendo. "It will kill you unless you destroy it. Kill it. Now."

"Commander Ikari," Asuka croaked, "Go fuck yourself."

"Enough," said Gendo, face reddening with fury. "Nagisa, end it."

Kaworu sprang into action, charging across the open ground. He shoved Unit One out of the way and brought Unit Two's knee up in a fierce kick that caught the rogue Eva in the face, sending it toppling backwards. He drew both of the progressive knives from the pylons at his shoulders and ducked under the multi-limbed swing of his enemy, cutting deep rents in Unit Three's midsection, spilling fountains of red gore.

"Ikari," Fuyutsuki breathed, "For the love of God-"

Asuka's scream was incoherent, wordless, a gale of fury as she charged. She got Unit One on its feet and thundered towards the battle even as Nagisa pressed Unit Three further and further back, dodging its strokes and landing blows of its own, savagely wounding it. The rogue Eva fell to one knee, wailing in pain.

"Ibuki," Gendo said calmly. "Desynchronize the Second Child."

Maya spun in her seat. "Sir, what? She'll be helpless, she-"

"She's useless. Do it. Now."

Maya trembled. Fuyutsuki could see the indecision on her face. Her mouth worked silently. He, Kozo Fuyutsuki, was letting this happen.

"Belay that," he said.

Gendo rounded on him. "Shut up."

Breaking into a sprint, Gendo slid down the ladder to the lower level before Fuyutsuki could stop him, ran to Ibuki's console, and roughly shoved her out of her seat. She landed with a cry, and the two technicians next to her stood up, only to freeze when Ikari's gaze fell on them. He typed the commands in himself.

Unit One slumped forward, nearly falling from its own momentum.

Asuka started screaming. "What are you doing? Turn it back on! _Turn it back on!" _

* * *

><p>He had to get her out.<p>

Shinji slammed into Unit Three's back, and the impact broke the hard shell of blue whatever the hell it was that had formed over the entry plug, mostly exposed from Rei's efforts. He dodged a hammer blow from Unit Two and realized, to his horror, that Kaworu was stabbing the progressive knives in his hands into Unit Three's back. He was trying to hit the plug.

He clawed against the blue sludge with his hands and when that didn't work, he blasted it with the heat of his vision, unleashing the full fury of it. It steamed and blackened, and he was able to get enough of a grasp on it to tear it away in a great sheet, twisting his whole body. He turned just in time to see Unit Two bringing a knife down at him.

He turned, put his feet against the Eva's back, and caught the blade. It slid between his hands, the point inches from his face, the heat waves washing from the progressive vibrations over his forehead, and sweat beaded there. He turned and with an almost animal shriek, the blade skimmed over the Evangelion's back.

He turned and he rammed his fists into Unit Three's back. He could see the plug, he could almost touch it, he was almost there. He yanked on the emergency release, but it was useless, seized up. He had no choice. He risked his heat vision again, melting the armor plates that jutted out of Unit Three's back to slag. He almost fell when Kaworu pinned it to the ground. The entry plug rang like a bell, and he heard the twisting and grinding of bending metal. The surface curved inwards as the whole structure started to twist.

Tears streaming from his eyes, he ripped it open with his bare hands, and wriggled inside. Hikari lay twisted and unmoving in the control seat, and it was the only thing keeping the metal from crushing her. The blue sludge, like a lichen, was crawling towards her, but hadn't touched her yet. Her arms hung free at her sides, but her legs...

"Oh," he moaned, "Oh God."

Hikari's left leg was pinned between the ruins of the control yoke, grinding as the plug grew smaller and smaller, crushing around them. He did the only thing he could. He tore the whole seat free and pinned himself between it and the crushing sides of the plug, shielding herself with his body. He couldn't see any injuries to her neck or head but he was sure her arm was broken, too. Her breathing was shallow, so he ripped the collar of her plugsuit open to free her up a little, and she coughed too-dark LCL over her chin. He did his best to cradle her arm as he curled her against himself in a tight ball.

Unit Two's fist rose over his head. Hikari's leg wasn't going to be coming loose. The shadow of an angry fist darkened his tiny screaming world.

He pushed up. He put his back against the plug and he held her and he pushed, and a great segment of it tore free, falling into space as he lifted up with her. He held her to his chest and felt her heartbeat. He rose up and up as Unit Two's firsts came down, pounding on the stricken Eva, almost a beast itself. Kaworu tore into it savagely, and great gouts of gore and flesh fountained into the air and slammed back to earth, bouncing languidly as they landed, rubbery.

He had to get Hikari out, he had to get her safe.

Then, Unit Two's arm shot out, and its fist closed around them.

Shinji bellowed in fury. He held Hikari against him, her shattered leg dangling against his own as Unit Two's crimson fingers closed around him like a vice. He shook as he struggled to keep the fingers apart without hurting Hikari or dropping her. He didn't have a choice.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. The world turned red hot.

Unit Two's hand fell away, tumbling into space, the smoking stump cauterized, charred black. Unit Two retreated from him, and when he saw the medics far below, he headed towards them.

* * *

><p>Misato ran, Ritsuko struggling not to keep up, but to pass her, arms pumping furiously at her sides. Some small part of her mind noted that it had been a long, long time since she'd seen Ritsuko cry. They reached the ambulance together, skidding on their shoes to stop. Ritsuko had to grab Misato to keep her from bowling over. They were loading Hikari into the back of the ambulance, her tiny broken form covered in a white sheet. Her face ashen, an oxygen tube under her nose.<p>

Shinji was on his knees, his head on the pavement, his hands clutching his head, screaming incoherently into the ground. As the ambulance pulled away he reared up and slammed his fist into the asphalt so hard it cracked in a series of concentric circles, almost spilling Misato from her feet. She sobbed and ran to him as he stood up, brushing his cape aside to throw her arms around him.

"It's not fair!" he screamed at the sky, "It's not fair!"

"Wait!" Ritsuko shouted at the ambulance, waving her arms. "I'm a doctor, open the doors! _Open the doors!" _

The ambulance slowed, but didn't stop, as the medics threw the doors open and Ritsuko yanked herself inside, dropping a shoe in the process. She slid in beside Hikari and started taking her vitals as the door closed.

Shinji fell into Misato's arms, weeping bitterly. "It's not fair," he said over and over, "I'm Superman and I couldn't save her."

Misato hugged him so hard it hurt, and she wondered if he could even feel it. All she could do was repeat "She'll be okay," again and again against his furious sobs, but it rang hollow. Misato didn't need to know medicine to know that leg was gone. Hikari would never walk on her own legs again.

It felt like forever until he caught his breath and pulled away from her, scrubbing at his face with his hands, but he couldn't hide his reddened eyes, or the raw skin around his nose. Every other breath was a deep sniff. Misato let him stand, and then pulled back.

"I have to go," said Shinji. "Get to Asuka. Call Kaji."

"What are you doing to do?"

"What I should have done already."

Misato turned and ran, flagging down a humvee.

* * *

><p>Fuyutsuki could feel it, could feel the change in air pressure before it happened, and he ducked to the side, moving to the edge of the bridge. The center of the ceiling caved in with a great crash, heavy chunks of masonry and wires falling straight into Gendo's desk, smashing it to kindling in a matter of seconds. Shinji descended from the opening, his cape trailing out behind him, his costume scuffed and covered in oil and what was probably dried blood. His eyes were coals, steaming as his tears vaporized.<p>

Gendo calmly walked up to the upper level to meet him.

"You're coming with me," Shinji said quietly.

"And where do you propose that I would be going?"

"I'm taking you the United Nations. You're going to answer for your crimes. No more games, no more spies. It's over."

Shinji paled. He wobbled on his feet a little, and suddenly looked deeply confused.

"You know," said Gendo, "You made an excellent point at the memorial. I didn't bother with the box."

From his pocket, Gendo drew a luminous green crystal, the size of a tennis ball. It bathed the room in a sickly green glow, and when it washed over Shinji, it hit him like a physical force. He stumbled backwards over the debris, crawling away from the green glow. He coughed, hard, obviously pained. Gendo ignored it and walked forward, holding the rock out in front of him.

"I don't think I'll be going anywhere. You really thought you were invincible, didn't you? There are no heroes, boy. Not in this world."

An animal fury flowed up Fuyutsuki's legs, tightened in his chest, and curled his hands into fists. He cried out as he charged across the platform and barreled into Gendo, pushing him away from Shinji. Gendo held onto the rock for dear life, twisting, an Fuyutsuki drew back and punched him, hard. His lip bleeding, Gendo turned, and the rock tumbled out of his hand, thumping like a heavy piece of glass as it slid across the platform. Fyutsuki shoved his arm under Gendo's neck and pushed him back against the railing.

"You son of a bitch," Fuyutsuki roared, kicking his leg under Gendo's, forcing him over the rail.

"Yes," Gendo croaked, and shot him.

The gun was in his belly, aimed up into his chest. He never heard the one that got him. Fuyutsuki slumped back, hit the rail, and slid down onto his side, clutching at the wound in his gut. Dark red blood sluiced between his fingers, and a creeping cold flowed through him as he tried to draw a struggling, ice-hot breath that wouldn't come no matter how hard he pulled. He watched as Gendo calmly picked up the rock and strode out of the room, as easy as you please.

Shinji crawled over to him, still slightly green, and sweating. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and patted on the smooth black floor as he lifted Fuyutsuki up, pulling him into his lap. It had to be his imagination, but he felt soft fingers touch his cheeks and slide around his head, and smelled a familiar perfume, drowning out the iron stink of his own blood. Yui, blessed Yui, bright and ethereal and too pure for the world, leaned into his vision, and touched her lips to his. A single tear rolled down her cheek to his.

"Be not afraid," she said.

He whispered her name.

Then, he died.

* * *

><p><strong>You have been reading<strong>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

_Chapter Fourteen: Today is the Time for Goodbye_


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Misato walked onto the bridge in a daze. It felt as if the floor was moving, undulating beneath her feet. Her fingers slid open and her phone clattered to the floor. Shinji was lying against the forward console on the upper level, the limp body of Kozo Fuyutsuki spread across his lap. Blood coated his stomach and legs and pooled around him where he sat as he feebly tried to hold it into the old man. Shivering sobs wracked his body.<p>

"Somebody get a medic!" Maya screamed.

Misato shook herself out of it and stormed forward, moving around the pile of debris. "Aoba, get a medical team in here, now. Hyuga, I want the pilots brought in immediately, and _separately, _do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Hyuga said, shaking, as he turned to his console.

"I want Kaworu Nagisa detained and confined to his quarters. Recovering Unit Two is priority, I want it in the cage and locked down with a restrictor plug as soon as possible. Where the hell is the Commander?"

"He's not answering our calls," said Aoba. "He doesn't seem to be on base."

Goro Yoshida stormed into the command center, gun in hand. "Who's in command here?"

"I am," said Misato, rounding on him.

"Bullshit," said Yoshida. "I'm taking command."

He motioned a pair of agents to move alongside him, but they froze as Shinji slowly stood up, carrying Fuyutsuki's limp body in his arms.

"Which one of you," said Shinji, "wants to test that theory."

Yoshida held his ground while his subordinates backed away.

"Get out of my way."

Hyuga stood up. "Captain, they're having trouble with Asuka. She's demanding to be taken to the infirmary."

"Do it," said Misato, "Give her a full escort and get her there, now."

Yoshida stepped out of the way as a crew of medics ran into the control room, carrying a stretcher. Shinji lowered Fuyutsuki's body onto it, and tried to life it before one of the technicians stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Misato realized what they were doing and rushed to his side, trying to push him back, but it was like pressing her hands against a brick wall. He just wouldn't move.

When Shinji heard "Time of death", he sank into her so hard it nearly bowled her off her feet, sobbing like a child.

"Yoshida," Misato said quietly as she stroked Shinji's hair. "This is a crime scene. Clear it off and get the investigative division in here."

"You don't give me orders-"

"The hell I don't," Misato snapped. "The chain of command falls to me. Do your job or I'll find someone who will."

She put her arms under Shinji's shoulders and tugged him back to his feet. He moved with her, shaking, until they were outside. When they stepped out into the hallway, he pulled away from her and slumped against the wall.

"Come on," she whispered, "Get up."

He shook his head and just sat there, and if he didn't want to go she had no chance of moving him. "Shinji, come on. I need you. Asuka needs you. _Hikari_ needs you."

"What good am if I can't save one person?"

Misato sank to her knees and grabbed his cheeks, turning his head to face her. Gingerly, she brushed the tears away with her thumbs. He stared at her, maybe through her, his eyes distant and unfocused, his breathing labored, every exhalation gasping into a small sob.

"Listen to me," she said, very calmly, as if she were speaking to a small child. "You can't do this. Not here, not now. Fuyutsuki wouldn't want you to curl up and just give up. Everyone in that room, maybe everyone in the _world_, is alive today because of you and the things that you've done. Are you going to give up on that now?"

"It's my fault," he rasped, turning away from her. "If I'd been faster, and smarter, I-"

"Damn it," she shook him, "Listen to yourself. You can't let these people see you like this. You're more than a pair of fists. Look around and _look at the way people look at you. _You've given these people hope," she started to choke up, blinking away her own tears. "Think about how things were before you got here, how Asuka used to be, how _I_ used to be. You're a hero."

He looked at her.

"You're my hero," she said.

Slowly, but steadily, he stood up. He straightened, pressing his shoulders back, shaking even as he did. He drew in a breath, swallowed, and with his fingers wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"I have to get to the hospital. I need to see that everyone is okay."

"You can't go like this," said Misato. "You're… the blood…"

"I need to get the suit washed. I might need it later. Let's go to the locker room."

She pulled his arm over her shoulders and walked with him, walked away from the carnage and the control room and the shouting technicians carrying out her orders. She walked him into the elevator and he slumped against the wall. Misato pushed the button.

"Let's stop at home, first," said Misato, lowering her voice. "These people need _you,_ not," she pointed at his chest, "him."

Shinji sighed. "And these people need you. You're in charge here, Misato. I'll take care of everything else."

* * *

><p>"I feel so useless," Ritsuko murmured.<p>

There she was, medical doctor, engineer, head of Project E, one of her pilots lying half dead in an operating room and she was sitting outside in the hallway with everyone else. Asuka was sitting near her in a mismatched outfit that Kaji had cobbled together from whatever she had lying out at home before he picked her up. The man himself was seated opposite her, leaning on his knees, watching Asuka from the corner of his eye. He'd gotten her a blanket somewhere and she was curled up next to him, staring vacantly into nothing.

"Why's that?" he said.

"I'm a doctor. I should be in there helping them."

"How long has it been since you've been in surgery?"

"Not since I was a resident. I never practiced medicine except as part of the program."

"You'd just get in the way. Trust in the staff here, they're some of the best in the world."

Ritsuko snorted. "Of course they are. I hired them."

Kaji turned to the doors- there was a set of double doors at the end of the hallway, and she saw movement on the other side. Through the round glass windows set high in the doors she could see a small crowd of people. She stood up and ran to the doors and pulled them open. An orderly was shooing away a group of people- the Hikari family, a boy Ritsuko didn't recognize, and Shinji.

Ritsuko pulled out her identification badge. "Let them in."

The orderly stepped out of the way and they rushed past her. The father, a heavyset man in his fifties, had a sort of dull, uncomprehending look on his face. The older sister, Ritsuko couldn't remember her name, scowled at Ritsuko even as she held the younger sister, all of six years old, in her arms. The child pawed at her shoulder and stared around in confusion, obviously mystified all of this. The boy, the boy she remembered from the school, the tall one who always wore a track suit. Toji Suzahara. The psych profile mentioned Hikari's "attachment" to him, as though it were some sort of disease.

"Please," said Ritsuko, "Please, come in; she's in the operating theater now. We're waiting for word."

The doors flapped shut behind them as she entered. There weren't enough seats, even with the younger sister sitting on the elder's lap, so Ritsuko and Shinji ended up standing. Shinji paced back and forth, red with fury, and Ritsuko had to press her nails into her palms to remind herself not to comfort him too strongly, not to make it too obvious. Asuka didn't say anything to anyone, she just shivered in her seat, between Kaji and the older sister. Kodama, that was her name.

With her free hand, Kodama touched Asuka's hair, stroking it as though she were a child. "Shinji told us what happened," she said softly. "We know it's not your fault. You did everything you could."

"But it wasn't enough," Asuka said, hoarsely.

"Nozomi, sit here," the girl said, resting her sister next to Asuka.

Ritsuko smiled a little when the child crawled onto Asuka's lap and hugged her. Asuka, in a very un-Asuka like way, hugged her fiercely, turning her head so that no one could see that she was tearing up. Her smile faded when Kodama, a tall slip of a thing who still had freckles and looked like a taller version of her younger sister, pressed her face into Ritsuko's.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" she demanded, poking Ritsuko in the chest.

Ritsuko looked away. "I… only children born after Second Impact can pilot Evangelions. It's the way it is."

"There isn't anything you can do? Anything but this? We already lost my mother. My father will die if we lose Hikari. What am I going to tell my little sister?"

"I," Ritsuko choked up, turning away. "I tried to convince her not to sign. I didn't want her to do it. I don't choose the candidates, I-"

"Oh," Kodama said sharply, stepping closer to her. "So it's not your fault, right? She signed the papers, and you were just following orders."

"Your father signed too," Ritsuko said, dumbly, "I-"

"Of course he did!" Kodama shouted. "He works for Nerv! You would have fired him if he didn't!"

"That's not true, I-"

"Kodama," Asuka said softly.

"What?" she snapped, and then "Oh. Asuka, I didn't mean-"

"I tried to make her stop," Asuka said absently, hugging Nozomi to her shoulder. "I insisted she leave, I told her to quit. I _ordered _her to quit."

"It's not your fault," Kodama said again, "It isn't, it-"

"You know what she told me?" said Asuka. "She said she had to, because she didn't want someone else to take her place."

"Of course she would," said Kodama. "She would do that. She's…" She started to break down, turning and cupping her eyes over her face.

"She's a hero," Asuka said absently.

The operating room doors opened. A doctor walked out in full regalia, and pulled down his face mask. "We have her stabilized," he said to no one in particular. "It's a miracle. If Superman hadn't carried her to the ambulance so quickly, she would have died."

Shinji looked visibly relieved, sliding against the wall, but she could see his eyes trembling. They were all silent, waiting for the bad news.

"I'm sorry, there's no gentle way to put this-"

"Just tell us," Hikari's father said, flatly.

"We had to amputate her right leg below the knee joint. The damage was too severe; the bones in her calf and foot were crushed to powder. I'm afraid there's more. We're working on her arm now. I'm not sure we'll be able to save it; she has a serious spiral fracture. Her left eye has also been damaged. There was some severe internal bleeding, and her retina detached. I can't tell you if we're going to be forced to perform an enucleation, but she'll be blind in that eye regardless."

"What's an enucleation?" said Kodama.

"I'm sorry, it means we'd remove the eye completely. It's going to be a few hours. We'll keep you posted."

The surgeon turned and walked back inside, staring at the floor.

Kodama shook with a bitter sob.

Ritsuko slumped against the wall, sliding down until she sat on the floor, hugging her knees. She hadn't spent a great deal of time with Hikari, but the girl made a ready impression. She was so serious, so mature, and so energetic. So full of life, even when she was riding up the elevator to confront the terror of piloting an Evangelion. Ritsuko stared blankly at the operating room doors and cursed herself bitterly, wishing there was some way she could give the girl a new leg, save her arm somehow, restore her sight. All her medical knowledge was useless, she couldn't restore a limb.

Kaji's phone buzzed. He took it from his pocket, checked it, and palmed it. He looked at Shinji. "it's Katsuragi. She wants us back at headquarters. It's about your father."

* * *

><p>Goro Yoshida led the mission personally. To say that he may not have liked Katusragi was an understatement- he found the woman more and more loathsome at every juncture, although he did admit she had gotten herself together in the short time he'd known her, quit acting like such an irresponsible slob. Yet, she had no respect for the institution that she served. Yoshida did, however, and she was indeed the acting commander –he emphasized the <em>acting<em> in his mind—and his superior, and so he was obliged to obey her order to arrest the Nagisa boy. He took two of his best men and headed out to meet him as the recovery crew rode him back into the facility.

The boy stepped out of the heavy recovery van, still dressed in his plugsuit. He drank in his surroundings in those huge red eyes of his, and Yoshida shivered in spite of himself. There was something wrong with the boy, that he didn't dispute. Katusragi may have been right about this one. The Commander had done the right thing, but the viciousness with which he'd attacked a machine piloted by another human being, who was in no way responsible for the attack, was admittedly disturbing. Yoshida sighed, and did his duty.

"Pilot Nagisa," he said, "I am under orders to escort you to your quarters and confine you there."

The boy cocked his head to the side, and smiled a viper smile. "I'm afraid that is unacceptable."

Yoshida sighed. "Cuff him."

The boy looked at the two men on either side of him, and the two men with Yoshida, considered them for a moment, and then unmade them. He did something, some sort of gesture with his hand, and flashes of orange light scythed through their bodies, dividing them in clean slices that tumbled to the floor and, when they hit, simply exploded in great pools of thick, reddish liquid. Yoshida drew his gun, but the boy was so _fast,_ he was just there, all at once, right in his face.

"What did you do?"

"That was the sacred light of my soul, which no one may enter."

He touched Yoshida's forehead with one gloved finger. "Your soul, on the other hand, is an open book."

It all came to him at once. The crushing pain in his chest when he returned home after the first blasts to find that he had no home, the years of fruitless searching, of rumors, of finding the right name attached to the wrong woman, of the day he finally accepted that they were both gone, that he'd gone to work one morning and the world ended, and when it started up again his most precious people were all gone. It rampaged through his mind, not as a memory, but as though he was _there_. He could smell the sea foam and hear the first gunshot and feel the flash from the blast over Old Tokyo searing his mind, and he was in all of those places, all of those times, at once.

He sank to his knees, blubbering like a child, and his gun clattered out of his hand.

"Unlike these others," said the boy, "You will prove useful. You will do exactly as I say." He leaned down and whispered in Yoshida's ear. "I can give them back to you."

* * *

><p>Shinji found Misato, changed into a fresh uniform, standing outside his father's office. He felt apprehension building, weighing on him as a lump formed in his throat. He supposed he'd have to do this eventually, or someone would. He had an inkling of why he was there, even before Kaji asked that very question.<p>

"I want to make sure there are no surprises in there for us," said Misato. "We have to go in."

Shinji nodded. The doors were locked, so he ripped the lock out of the doors and tossed it over his shoulder, where it scrabbled across the floor with a loud scraping sound. He pushed them aside, folding them against the interior door, and walked in, or appeared to. He was in fact hovering a millimeter over the floor, not touching it. He didn't immediately see any invisible trip lines or lasers or anything, so he scanned the room as he moved through it, and found to his surprise that the walls were simply walls. He settled on the floor and did a slow walk around the desk, carefully studying it.

The only thing out of the ordinary was a thick binder lying on the desk. Normally, he kept his desk spotlessly clean and free of any of the normal debris of administration- it would occur to any rational person to ask what he actually _did_ in there all the time. He nodded, and Misato and Kaji walked in, the latter nonchalantly touching the gun he had tucked in his waistband anyway.

Shinji touched the binder. A simple legend had been written, in marker, on the front. It read, "The Truth". Written beneath it was a series of numbers.

Kaji looked at the number. "What is that?"

"My birthday," said Shinji, lifting the cover.

Kaji tensed.

"If it was rigged to explode, I'd smell it," Shinji said absently.

He traced his finger across the page, turning the binder to look at the paper sideways. It was technical schematic, a drawing of some kind of vehicle. Something tingled at the back of his mind, some strange instinct. It looked like a rocket, and the main thing it carried was some kind of computer. There were no fuel tanks; it looked like it, somehow, derived its thrust and power from a central storage compartment, containing a fuel source. From the dimensions, the rock would be a fist-sized, maybe slightly larger. The rocket itself wouldn't be much larger than a person.

He sank down into his father's seat.

"Do you know what this is?"

Kaji shook his head. Misato bit her lip. "It's the rocket," she said, "the rocket that made you."

Kaji touched the page and closed his eyes. "I had no idea. The box, I… I stole it from them and brought it here. I thought it had something to do with a power source for the Evas."

Shinji stared at the plans for the rocket. "You didn't know. It's not your fault."

"What is the rock?" said Misato.

"Some sort of Kryptonian mineral, presumably," said Kaji, "some unknown element that they used for a power source."

"That must be what he meant," said Shinji.

"Who?" said Misato.

Shinji sat up. "When I touched the crystal that gave me a vision of my Kryptonian father, he said that his people were dying a slow death from sterility. That must be why. The radiation from that rock affected them, affected _us._"

"That makes sense," said Kaji. "Deadly in large doses, but if they were to, say, pollute the atmosphere with it…"

"They're not so different from us after all," said Misato. "So it's a piece of Krypton."

"Kryptonite," said Kaji.

Shinji turned the page. There were more detailed plans of the interior of the rocket, focusing on the propulsion system, and the computer itself. It incorporated "unknown apparently cloned nervous tissue" and a series of clear, quartz-like crystals that appeared to be an optical data storage system, like the optical cubes that were envisioned as a storage system in the late nineteen-nineties. He tapped the page with his finger. Cloned nervous tissue.

Cloned.

There was something else. Buried in the heart of the computer system was a preserved sample of pure Kryptonian tissue- itself a cloned, generalized sample, containing the entire Kryptonian genetic code. How could they have known that?

In a panic, Shinji rapidly flipped through the pages, scanning them faster than Misato and Kaji could keep up, until he slammed the binder shut and slid back from the desk, gripping the sides of his head. They knew that because they extracted it, and experimented on it.

"No," Shinji whispered. "No, no, they can't."

"What?" Misato demanded, "What is it?"

"They spent years pulling it apart, trying to make another _me_. It didn't work."

"Well," said Kaji, "that's good, isn't it?"

"No," said Shinji. "It's worse. They stopped trying to create a Kryptonian-Human hybrid, and started working on a Kryptonian-_Evangelion_ hybrid instead."

Kaji paled. "The solar collector. At the German branch they had a massive solar collector, designed to focus solar energy into a big room. That must be what it was for."

His phone rang, and he yanked it from his pocket and turned to answer it. He listened briefly, and turned around, even paler than before. "We have a problem."

"What?"

"Yoshida called the United Nations. He told them Fuyutsuki killed Gendo and was killed during a coup attempt, and Katsuragi has taken over and plans to use the Evangelions to overthrow the government. They're on their way to arrest everyone right now."

"Get back to the hospital," said Misato, running for the door. "They'll try to arrest Ritsuko…" she left the words to hang in the air unspoken.

"I'll go with you," said Shinji, rising.

"No," said Kaji. "I have something better you can do."

* * *

><p>Asuka looked up to see Kaji push through the doors, shoving a hospital orderly out of the way. He grabbed Akagi somewhat roughly by the arms and pulled her to her feet. She was mumbling to herself, something about nerve connections, and he had to shake her to get her attention. She shook her head, as if clearing the cobwebs from waking up.<p>

"We have to go," he said, "Now. Asuka, you too."

Asuka blinked and stood up, gently lowering Nozomi onto Kodama's lap. "What's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain. We're leaving."

Asuka swallowed, and rushed to his side as he half-dragged Akagi along with him, not the way he came but deeper into the hospital. He stopped at every intersection of hallways to look around, then ushered her on. Asuka followed behind him, increasingly feeling something crawling up her spine.

"I want to get out of here," she said. "I hate hospitals."

It seemed the further they went, the colder it became. Asuka shivered and rubbed at her arms. Gurneys, oxygen tanks, and medical equipment lurked around every corner, covered in tubes and screens. She heard the faint sounds of beeping and nurse's shoes scuffing the floor and the murmuring of doctors and a lump formed in her throat.

"Asuka," said Kaji, "I need you to hold it together. I don't want to get in a firefight here, we need to get out."

"Firefight? But you don't have-"

Kaji casually flipped up the back of his shirt, revealing a heavy automatic pistol tucked there.

"Oh," said Asuka. "What's going on? Why are we hiding?"

He pressed against the wall and looked at her. "Asuka, I… Kozo Fuyutsuki is dead. Gendo is missing. The United Nations think Misato and Fuyutsuki meant to take over Nerv and use the Evas to overthrow the government." He sighed. "Apparently, Kaworu used Unit Two to 'stop us'."

"That little _bastard_," Asuka snarled, "I'll kill him, I swear."

"Save it for later," said Kaji.

He went on until he found a service elevator, hit the button, and looked around nervously until the doors opened. Asuka practically clung to his back as they moved inside and he hit the button for the ground floor. He leaned Ritsuko against the wall and waved his hand in front of her face, but she just stared, glancing at him feebly.

"Why did it have to be children?"

Kaji looked at Asuka and shook his head.

The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and the doors parted. Three men in full tactical gear, bullet proof vests and blue helmets marked UN in white letters, pointed submachine guns into the elevator.

"You're under arrest," the leader said. He thumbed the button on a microphone at his shoulder. "I have Kaji and Akagi here. The pilot is with them, securing her now."

"Gentlemen," said Kaji, edging forward with his hands up, "This is all a misunderstanding. I'm a Special Inspector for the UN, just let me-"

"Quiet," the leader snapped, "You're working with them. Put your hands behind your back."

Kaji's hands moved slowly downwards.

"Wait," the leader said, motioning to the man by his side. "Pat him down."

Kaji sighed as the soldier moved to his side and started frisking him, and froze as he touched something on Kaji's side.

"What the hell?"

"It's my shaving kit," said Kaji.

Then, he _moved. _He was so fast, he grabbed the soldier's forearms, twisted somehow in an undulating, snaky way, and slammed him head first into the wall. His helmet took most of the impact, but left him stunned enough for Kaji to jab into his throat with his fingers and toss him into the one the middle who gave the orders, knocking them both of their feet. The third one started to raise his gun, and then froze.

Having yanked it out of his belt, Asuka pointed Kaji's pistol right at the soldier's face. "Drop it."

"I'd do what she says," said Kaji. "She has cramps."

Slowly, the agent lowered his gun to the floor and slid the sling off his shoulder. Kaji scooped it up, checked the chamber and the safety, and motioned for Asuka to follow him, grabbing Ritsuko by the arm with his free hand. Together they kept the three men covered until they were around the corner.

"You should give that back," said Kaji, "You don't know how to use-"

Asuka tipped the slide back to check the chamber, thumbed the hammer back and put on the safety, and pointed the gun at the ground with her finger alongside the trigger guard in the ready position.

"Okay," said Kaji, "You can just keep that for a while."

"Where are we going?"

"The car," said Kaji.

"Your car only has two seats," said Asuka.

"Not that car."

He stopped, checked the halls, and proceeded. Down here, things were more dank, the walls bare concrete rather than white paint and tile floors, the lights harsh yellow sodium bulbs rather than the clean white fluorescents of the upper layers. He motioned her forward, all the while pulling Akagi along with him. Finally, they reached daylight streaming through square windows in a pair of heavy doors. Kaji stopped, peered through the windows, and gently edged the door open before he slung the machinegun and moved out into the light, motioning for her to follow. She took Akagi around the waist.

There was a god damn _tank_ in the parking lot. A heavy assault vehicle on six wheels, marked with the Nerve emblem, hunched an angular, was lying in wait by the back door of the hospital. Asuka smirked.

"Where did you get that?"

"I borrowed it."

He ran to the back, hit a switch, and the entire rear end of the vehicle unfolded in a ramp. Asuka moved inside, supporting Akagi as she did, and Kaji came in behind her, closing the ramp. The inside was surprisingly cramped- there was a place for someone to stand and operate the armored turret on the top, a few small, hard, cramped seats, and a pair of seats for a driver and passenger up front. Asuka helped lower Akagi into one of the seats. She moved passively, not resisting but not helping.

"What's wrong with her?"

Kaji shook his head. "I don't know. Come on."

He slid into the driver's seat and turned a key- it looked like any other car key, which in some tiny way, amused her. She handed his gun back to him and he stuck it under his hip, then worked the big gear lever and started the vehicle rolling forward. It bounced and jounced and shook her from side to side.

Kaji looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"What?"

"You're holding together really well. I'm proud of you."

In spite of everything, just a little, Asuka smiled.

* * *

><p>Fortunately, accessing the United Nations was somewhat convenient. The original meeting place of the world's international governing body –at the time a far more toothless entity than what it would later become—was destroyed when New York City was inundated during the immediate aftermath of Second Impact. Given the importance of Japan in the new world order, when a new formal headquarters for the organization as built in 2005, it was located in the new capital at Tokyo-2. Shinji lighted on the front steps of the building, much to the surprise of the guards, his cape flapping in the wind behind him as he marched up to the front doors.<p>

Inside, there was a security check. Everyone in the lobby stopped and stared at him. Dutifully, he walked through the roped line leading up to the metal detectors, and waited for the stunned looking middle aged woman sitting on the other side to motion him through. He stopped on the other side.

"I'd ask you to empty your pockets, but…"

"Sorry," he shrugged. "All I have is this." He held up the thumb drive Kaji had given him.

"You'll, ah, you'll need a visitor badge."

She wrote "Superman" on the sticker in magic marker, then spread it onto his chest with her hands. It started peeling off his suit almost immediately. The plugsuit material did not react well to adhesives.

"Um, I-"

"I think everyone will know who you are," she said, absently. "The General Assembly is currently in session-"

"Could you point me in the right direction?"

"Uh, just go around the corner there and to your left, it's the big door with the guards outside."

He nodded. "Thank you."

He earned more stares as he walked through the building. Beyond the check station, almost no one was Japanese. As they all stopped to watch him walk by, he remembered Misato's words in the hallway and squared himself up. The guards at the door –it was indeed quite large, as the security guard told him—stared at him with open mouths.

"I have business with the assembly," he said.

"Go right in," the guard on the left replied, watching him as he pushed the door open and walked through.

He found himself at the highest level of an large amphitheater. Marble steps ran down to a daise where the Secretary General was speaking. Flags hung down either wall, and in between were rows of hundreds of delegates and their translators. On the far wall, there was a map of the Earth, centered on the Arctic, picked out in white against a blue field. The speaker's podium looked tiny underneath it.

Shinji cleared his throat.

When the Secretary General saw him, she froze, and dropped her pen. Shinji scratched the back of his head.

His voice rang out across the hall. "Excuse me."

The Secretary-General leaned forward. He'd seen her on television before, and he knew that Misato knew her, or at least had met her a few times. He remembered seeing her at the Jet Alone disaster. He was pinning all of his hopes on these people listening to him, and so he felt some apprehension, a tightening in his guts as she leaned forward to the microphone.

"You'll need a sponsor to speak to the assembly."

The hall was dead silent for a moment, until in a rustle of papers and a flapping of pant legs and robes, every single person in the room stood up. Shinji smiled in spite of himself and jogged down the steps, feeling the all the eyes in the room, the eyes of the world, watching him. Television cameras swiveled to watch his approach.

There was a collective gasp as he lifted off the floor, flew over the podium, and lighted beside the secretary general. "May I?"

She stepped to the side and motioned him to the podium. He adjusted the microphone and tapped it with his finger, and winced at the booming bass from the speakers behind him. The delegates took their seats, and he waited patiently, knowing they'd need to translate his words.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "I have an urgent request to make. As I speak, United Nations peacekeepers and Japanese home defense forces are advancing on Nerv headquarters under Tokyo-3. I'm here to ask that they be recalled."

The Secretary-General moved to his side, and leaned to the microphone. "We were just discussing that as you came in."

Shinji nodded, and looked down at his feet to gather his breath. "I understand that you may not believe me. There are a lot of rumors going around about who I am and where I come from. There's too much to explain now, but I'm not a special project, some sort of Nerv experiment, or an angel." He paused, trying to think of how to put it best. "I come from a world called Krypton."

"You're an _alien?_" the Secretary-General blurted, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Not exactly. My mother was human. I was born with these abilities, these gifts, but they don't belong to me. They belong to everyone else."

He didn't know what to expect from that. He waited, wondering if the silence was from shock or disbelief, until the assembly broke out in thunderous applause. He raised his hands to quiet them.

"I need you to listen to me, before innocent people get hurt. Some of what you've heard is true. Kozo Fuyutsuki, the second in command of Nerv, is dead. He did not die in the midst of a coup attempt. Today, during a scheduled test of the newest Evangelion, an angel attacked and took over the Eva, trapping the pilot. Two of the other pilots attempted to rescue her, acting against Commander Ikari's orders."

"Commander Ikari responded to this by disabling one Eva and shutting the others down. They were forced to watch as Unit Two destroyed the rogue Evangelion, nearly killing the pilot. I managed to save her, but she is in critical condition in Nerv's infirmary as we speak. Her leg has already been amputated and she may lose her arm, and she is blind in one eye."

He waited, drawing his breath. The room was eerily slient.

"Like all of the Evangelion pilots, she is sixteen."

He looked down at the podium for a moment, and breathed.

"Fuyutsuki died bravely, trying to step in and give us a chance to save this innocent girl," he choked up as he said it, "Who did nothing wrong, and chose to pilot an Evangelion to spare someone else the same risk."

He looked at the Secretary-General. "I'm asking you to please listen to reason. The leadership of Nerv is either dead or in hiding and the people in charge there now are no threat to anyone. If we can just talk this out, I'm sure we can solve this without anyone else being hurt today."

He turned to the Secretary-General, but she was already on the phone.

"There's more," he said. "This may be difficult to believe, but I have evidence, gathered by a United Nations special inspector covertly working within Nerv, that there exists a criminal conspiracy-"

He froze. He heard it first, before any of the delegates did, the terrible winding groan as the evacuation sirens started, followed a moment later by their droning wail. He put the thumb drive on the podium, turned, and headed for the door.

* * *

><p>Misato stood on the lower section of the bridge, watching in horror as the MAGI plotted the movements of the new blue pattern. It had simply appeared in low orbit and was rapidly approaching from the south. She had to wait to see a visual, in the meantime, she had to get some kind of a defense organized. Worst of all, she was alone. Ritsuko was wherever Kaji and Asuka were, and there was no one backing her up, only the thin veneer of authority she held by assuming command in the chaos. She took a deep breath.<p>

"What's the UN doing?"

"They're on the phone now," said Hyuga. "It's the Secretary-General."

"Patch it through to one of the headsets," said Misato, plucking one from the console.

"This is Captain Katusragi."

"This is Secretary-General Nakashima. Captain, you've been granted a reprieve. Superman made a personal appeal on your behalf, and in light of the impending attack, we thought it best to deal with the issue of chain of command at Nerv at a later time, hopefully without any violence."

"Yes, ma'am," said Misato. "I need your help."

"That's very brazen of you. I'm not surprised. What is it?"

"Two of the shelters were destroyed in the last attack. If your people could help get the civilians out of the fighting, we'd appreciate it."

"That, I think we can do. Good luck, Captain."

The line went dead, and Misato put the headset back on the console. She looked around. Maya was sitting there in shock, staring blankly at her console. Hyuga and Aoba didn't look any better. The whole room was quiet. She cleared her throat.

"Okay," she said, "listen up. I need situational awareness here. Where are the Evas and what is their status?"

"Unit One is offline and current sitting where the Commander deactivated it," said Hyuga. "Unit Zero is lying on its side a kilometer away. The arm was detached in the battle and has been quarantined to deal with a possible infection of angelic matter. Unit Two is being moved into the cage now."

"Where's Nagisa?"

"He was supposed to be confined to his quarters, but we haven't heard back from the security detail yet."

Misato groaned. "Great. I want him found, and I want him in that Eva."

Maya paled when she looked at Misato. "Are you sure? We-"

"I don't have a choice. We need to get an Eva into the fight and find out what we're dealing with here. Where are the others?"

"Rei is being brought back now, Asuka was at the hospital, but Kaji picked her and Doctor Akagi up," said Hyuga. "The security at the hospital said there was some sort of fight, someone tried to arrest them."

"Captain," said Aoba. "The angel is entering visual range."

The view on the main screen switched to a grainy, shaky camera view from one of the surveillance cameras in the hills. It showed what at first appeared to be a massive oncoming stormcloud, coal blank and angry with flickers of lightning. Misato hugged herself, then shook her head, she had to be professional and in command.

"What is that?"

"It's from entering the atmosphere," said Aoba. "It's slowing down."

The cloud roiled forward, thinning and curling on itself, as if rising from a fire. Something moved within it, pushing forward from the cloud bank as it slowed. The vapors parted, flickering with lancing bolts of lightning that arced between the clouds and the ground as it advanced. The camera shook and fuzzed, and for a moment, she feared it would go dead. The creature emerged from the cloud all at once, thin streams of vapor drifting back from its body. It was gigantic.

"Get me an analysis," said Misato.

"R-right," said Maya, typing. She swallowed. "The MAGI estimate its mass at approximately three times that of an Evangelion. The angel has not raised an AT-Field."

"Good," said Misato, absently. "Plot a firing solution."

"For which batteries?" said Hyuga.

"All of them."

She could see it, now. It was as big as the sky. It resembled a limbless torso, huge and muscular, covered in a heavy, gleaming black carapace. The red core, huge and luminous, was visible in its lower body, ringed by bony structures that looked almost like teeth. Wrapped around its lowest extremities were ribbons of fleshy material, looped over themselves and clenched like a huge fist. It had no head, but set between its shoulders was an immense bony mask, frozen in a perpetual scream with drooping eyes and a grimacing mouth. It seemed to see the camera- something flashed within its eye sockets, and the feed went to static.

"I need visuals," said Misato, as calm as she could muster. "Get it back up. Do it now."

Hyuga and Aoba typed frantically. A series of new views appeared, showing it from multiple angles as it approached the city and became visible on a number of cameras. It came within range of the first batteries, unfolding from the armored skyscrapers that ringed the city. The central sections had not yet finished sinking into the ground, and she could see movement.

"Captain," said Hyuga, "Rei is back to Unit Zero. We're initiating the field startup procedures now. I still don't have a location on Nagisa."

"Do we have firing solutions?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Is its field up?"

"No."

"Open fire," said Misato. "Hit it with everything."

* * *

><p>Shini had to duck as a missile sailed past his head. He turned in the air and came to a stop, watching the projectiles streak in on plumes of smoke, their contrails linking together as they drew in on the angel, guided in by the computer systems. He expected to see the flowering of hexagonal AT-Fields, but the missiles kept on, fired their afterburners, and slammed into the angel. One by one they exploded on impact, the explosions turning the world from sunset to high noon, until they were was nothing but a cloud of airbursts and flames all around the creature. He held his breath for a moment, until the angel advanced through the explosions, parting them with the same ease with which it parted the air.<p>

It moved with agonizing slowness, until the second wave of missiles hit. It came to a stop, vanishing under the weight of fire for a moment as the secondary defenses opened up on it- artillery and machinegun fire from automated positions all around the city. It ignored it all, gliding forward slowly, and the he felt it, a sort of buss on the back of his hands, a tingling on his scalp that made his hair stand on end. A great soundless beam of pure heat swept out from the angel's sunken eye-sockets and simply _unmade_ the defenses. The missile batteries exploded with great _whumps_, while the armored panels just melted, instantly slagged, curling over and flowing away like butter flash melted by a fire.

All around him, he heard screaming. The evacuation wasn't going fast enough. Where the angel's beam touched the ground, there was nothing but fire and smoke. He took a deep breath and dove down into it, looking for survivors. There didn't appear to be anyone in the angels' path, but the fires were spreading rapidly, licking flames jumping from the hulk of one ruined build into the windows of another. He had to get the fires out, before they spread.

He spread his arms as wide as he could, closed his eyes, and with all his might, brought his hands together. The shockwave pushed him back, and spread out over the ground, smashing the burned wrecked of the buildings out of its path. The fires winked out, rolling back in a great wave that sent the smoke rolling up into the air, towards the angel. It ignored him, moving inexorably forward, and he could feel it charging itself up for another blast.

He looked over his shoulder. There was a column of UN armored personnel carriers, and cars, and trucks, and people on bicycles fleeing from the approaching creature. He could almost feel _hunger_ radiating from it, a sort of malevolence that he'd never felt from the angels before. He had only a second before it fired. He jumped, and he flew, and he put himself in between the beam and its targets.

He could hear it now- it sounded like a thousand screams, a horrifying shriek of unending fury that shook his bones and made his teeth rattle in his skull. The beam struck him full on, shoved him back through the air, and burned his cape to cinders in a flash. He put his hands out and divided it, screaming soundless into the oncoming fury, until it simply ended and he tumbled backwards in the air, spinning wildly out of control. He clipped the corner of a tall building and landed in the street with a crash, rolling head over heels until he crashed through a brick wall and came to rest in the ruins of a florist's shop.

With a groan, he jumped to his feet, ran back out into the street, and took off. It worked- he'd diverted the beam away from the fleeing people. The angel seemed to need time to charge itself up, so he charged it, flying hard and fast, and grabbed a hold of its face mask, twisting it with his entire body. He pulled the creature off-track and it turned, but it took the absolute limit of his effort, and he could feel its slipping loose from his grasp. He grunted and pulled, rearing back, and felt like he was going to tear his arms out of their sockets.

The angel jerked out of his grasp and continued on, brushing him aside.

* * *

><p>"Unit Zero is online," said Hyuga.<p>

Rei's image appeared on the screen. She looked haggard, her eyes rimmed with fatigue, and she was holding her arm against her body as though it was broken, although Misato knew she was only feeling sympathetic pain from the Eva. It hurt to watch anyway, though, as Rei leaned forward, grabbed one of the butterfly controls, and pulled it down over her lap.

"Orders," Rei grunted.

"Get to the launch chute," said Misato. "We're going to have to stage a defense inside the Geofront. Do not engage the angel."

Rei shook her head. "There are still people trapped on the surface."

"We're working on getting them out," said Misato, and Sh- Superman is fighting it, trying to slow it down. It's too big, Rei. We need to come up with some kind of a plan."

Rei nodded, albeit weakly, and the tracking blip for her Eva started to move across the map. Misato sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. She looked up at the map, and saw the icons for the defensive positions gradually turning into red flashing marks as the angel took them out, one by one. On the screen, she could barely make out Shinji zipping around it in a figure-eight pattern, it looked like he was trying to distract it. Twice, twin beams of furious red head lanced out from him and struck the creature, but it simply ignored him, as if he was a fly buzzing around it.

"Captain," said Hyuga, "I've got Kaji on the radio."

"Give me your headset," she said quickly, crushing the speaker to her ear. "Kaji? Where are you?"

"We're in an APC. What the hell is going on?"

"Where did you get an APC?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? What do we do? What's happening?"

Misato looked up at the screen. "There's an angel, and it's kicking our ass. I have Rei headed down to the Geofront through the launch tube. We can't find Nagisa and Unit Two is still in the cage. Is Asuka with you?"

"Yeah, she's here."

"Get her to Unit One. We'll do a field startup. Go now."

"Roger. Kaji out."

She handed the headset back. "What's happening with the evacuation?"

"The UN troops have most of the exposed populace out of the city," said Hyuga. "The shelters are starting to report in. We're at seventy percent now."

Misato nodded and studied the map. The angel didn't seem to be in any particular hurry, gradually working its way towards the center of the city. It was simply shooting at anything that moved, and now that most of the fleeing citizens were out of its immediate area of attention, it had picked up speed again and was moving towards downtown.

"Maya," said Misato. "Get the MAGI to tell me how long an Eva's AT-Field is going to hold up against that thing's blasts."

"Thirty seconds," said Rei, absently.

Maya blinked and stared at her console. "That's right, how-"

"It's complicated," said Rei.

"Captain," said Hyuga. "Look."

The angel rose up. It lifted, and it turned, facing itself down, towards the center of the city. It continued to rise, gradually positioning itself into a central position, ignoring the torrent of missiles and artillery shells bursting around it, not even bothering with its protective field. A cold ball formed in Misato's stomach, and a wave of understanding washed over her.

"Everybody, hold onto something," she said, surprised at the lack of tension in her own voice. "This is going to be bad."

* * *

><p>The APC bucked wildly as it crested the gentle curve that carried it out of the Geofront and onto the surface. Kaji's jaw dropped as he turned in his seat to take in the devastation. Large sections of the city were on fire, and the central cluster of defensive skyscrapers stood bowed and melted, like candles left out next to an open flame. The angel, a great immense thing that seemed too big to hang in the sky, The sky was red, from the sunset and from the flames, as if there were two suns, one in the west and the other pooled in the southern sections of the city, sinking into the Earth.<p>

Asuka sat up. "I don't see him."

Kaji tensed. His knuckles went white. The emergency egress port he'd chosen was outside the city limits, away from the angel, and in the right direction- he could see, in the far distance, Unit One's hulking form, hunched over and darkened in the oncoming twilight, lit from below by lights set up by the recovery crews, now fled. He turned towards it and gunned the APC's massive diesel engine, weaving the lumbering vehicle around an abandoned car on the narrow road.

Kaji glanced at the monitor in the dashboard- it was the only way he could see behind them. The angel was glowing, gathering force around itself, and it made the monitor fuzz. He gripped the wheel so hard it creaked, and shouted, "Belt in. Now."

Asuka tugged her safety harness on and clipped it down between her legs as Kaji did the same. "Hold on."

The monitor fuzzed. The world went white, and the shockwave lifted the rear end of the APC and slammed it back down again. The vehicle bounced twice, swinging wildly from side to side as Kaji wrestled to keep it on the road. The wheels shrieked and the world spun until he finally managed to straighten them out, dropped the shifter into a lower gear, and powered forward, gritting his teeth. Though all of this, Asuka curled up in her seat, covering her eyes, and Ritsuko simply stared dumbly ahead, sitting limp in the seat where Asuka had strapped her.

"Ritsuko!" Kaji shouted. "Wake up, I need you."

She didn't reply. Asuka turned around. "Damn it! Wake up!"

She shook her head, as if from waking. "What's wrong?"

"We're going to need your help," said Kaji. "We need to get Asuka in the entry plug and do a field launch on Unit One. I think we might be on our own."

"Oh," said Ritsuko, absently. She sat back and looked up slightly, in thought. "There's an internal backup LCL reservoir you'll have to use."

"Talk me through it," said Kaji.

"Not you," said Ritsuko. "Asuka. It has to be done from inside the plug."

"I'm listening," said Asuka, turning around the seat. "Tell me what to do."

* * *

><p>The ground rolled under Misato's feet. She fell against the console, and Hyuga jumped up to keep her from hitting her head on the side. Maya rolled out of her chair and crashed into Misato, and Aoba held onto his own console for dear life, curling his arms around it. The lights overhead swayed wildly, and the view on the monitors went out. The lights all shut off at once with a heavy thump, leaving the entire room bathed in darkness.<p>

On by one, the lights flickered on, with a heavy buzzing sound. Misato crawled up onto her feet, helping Maya back into her seat at the same time. Hyuga started typing frantically. Misato leaned on his shoulder and brushed the hair out of her face.

"Get me some kind of a visual, something. Where's Rei?"

"I am here," said Rei.

Misato's jaw dropped. She made a small, strangled sound. A gaping hole had been blown in the center of the city, and from it, dangling by hydraulics and the ruins of its raising and lowering system, was one of the central towers. It tore free with a great grinding moan and fell lazily through space, turning slightly as it did. When it hit the floor of the Geofront, it threw up a great cloud of gray soot and dust that rolled over the landscape like fog. The only sound was the hollow moaning of pieces of the city swaying back and forth at the edge of the great gaping rent.

Though the opening, black against the darkening sky but for a grimacing skull, came the angel.

It moved slowly, ponderously, coming to a hover above the floor of the Geofront.

"Rei," said Misato, "Get to the arms tower and get the positron rifle. We have to try to do some kind of damage to it."

"I have a plan," said Rei.

"What the hell is she doing?"

Unit Zero was bounding across the Geofront floor, taking long, loping strides. Tucked under its one good arm was a missile, nearly as long as the Eva was tall. It took Misato a moment to realize what she was carrying- a standard N2 tipped cruise missile, a short range tactical platform carrying a twenty kiloton non-nuclear antimatter explosive. Rei was going to charge the angel set it off.

"Rei!" Misato screamed, leaning over the console as if she could close the gap between them. "Put that _down!"_

"With respect, Captain. No."

Unit Zero drew closer to the angel, leaping over a heavy section of cable left over from the ongoing repairs to the Geofront infrastructure, bounded over a cluster of trees, and stopped dead in its tracks. The angel's AT-Field unfolded, and a second series of alerts went off. Maya's jaw dropped.

"This is incredible… the field is _massive._ I've never seen anything like this."

The angel's AT-Field crackled into the visible spectrum immediately, expanding so tall and so wide it divided the entire cavernous space of the Geofront, centered on pushing Rei back. She grunted, leaned into it, and Unit Zero mimicked the motion. She turned the missile aside and shouldered into the AT-Field, pushing desperately against it, and started sliding back.

"She's bringing up her own field," said Maya. "She… she's drawing too much power. She's going to fry the conversion circuits!"

"Rei!" Misato shouted, "Fall back, damn it!"

"I am sorry," said Rei. "I must refuse."

She set off the bomb.

The angel's field rippled, crushing back on itself from the blast. A white sphere formed around Rei, and the shockwave came a moment later, blasting her backwards and shoving the angel back, so that it bobbed in the air. Scorched and limping, Unit Zero stumbled back and fell to one knee, collapsing under its own weight. The rolling shockwave tore the leaves and needles from the trees and sent the smaller outbuildings and support structures tumbling into chunks of debris. The lights swayed, and the camera view fuzzed. A small mushroom cloud rose up from the point of detonation, swirling against the roof of the cavern like a ghost.

"Look!" said Hyuga.

Misato saw him, too. Shinji rocked down through the opening in the top of the cavern, a tiny blue streak, and started circling the outside perimeter of the Geofront. Misato watched in confusion for a moment until she saw that he was beginning to pick up speed with every turn. A white plume of compressed air formed around him and flushed outwards, followed a moment later by the thunderous sound of the sonic boom chasing him around the cavern. The angel turned slightly, as if it were trying to follow him with its gaze. He kept going, faster and faster, building speed, until a pocket of superheated air formed behind him, glowing like a lightning bug in the dusk. Misato could no longer see him, he was going so fast, when he changed direction and headed directly for the angel.

When he hit the AT-Field, there was a sound, a great rumbling thrum like a plucked bowstring, and the field shattered, collapsing in on itself as he passed through it. It folded around him, like a hanging sheet struck by a thrown rock, and then shattered with an agonizing, almost human scream that drove Misato's hands to her ears. He hit the angel so hard in its belly that it sent out a second rippling shockwave, rolling over the treetops and pushing ripples along the surface of the lake, rocking the uprooted trees and chunks of debris that floated there.

The angel rocked back slightly, as if caught in a breeze. Shinji was nowhere to be seen.

Unit Zero was moving, servos grinding, struggling and shaking even to turn over. Rei lifted a feeble arm, swiping pointlessly at the angel as it approached. It stopped, turned, and bobbed in the air as energy gathered around it. It blasted Unit Zero from the earth, opening up a great crater underneath her, rolling the Eva onto its belly. Rei screamed, and the signal from Unit Zero cut off completely. The angel turned. It drew its strength, aimed itself at the headquarters pyramid, and fired.

With a twisting snap of punished metal, an overhead light came loose and crashed down into the upper deck, then rolled over the side into the great yawning void below. The screens all flickered, and the main screen went out, first to snow, and then to black. She heard screaming and shouting, and one of the heavy banks of servers on the MAGI level blew out in a shower of sparks, flames licking up the side wall until a pair of techs got up and turned a fire extinguisher on it.

"Maya, grab your portable unit. We're evacuating. Everybody out."

"But-"

"Don't argue with me. Sound the-"

The main screen, or at least the far wall on which it was projected, cave in a great crash of falling masonry and whipping wires. Something came through the opening as the wall well away, hit the console in front of her, rolled up over it, and hit the wall of the upper deck so hard it bent the metal with a shearing, twisting scream.

"_Shinji!" _Misato screamed, running to his side. He lay face down, groaning.

He pushed himself up on his hands and knees, and Misato cursed herself for using his real name. He started to stand up, wobbling, until Misato got her arm under him. Hyuga rushed to her side and helped him up under his other arm, until he was on his feet. He shook them off and stood, brushing the dust and soot from his face, and turned, in horror.

The angel's gigantic face pressed through the wall, so huge it could have swallowed them all in one great gulp. Misato screamed involuntarily, and Shinji dumbly, pointlessly pulled her and Hyuga behind him, spreading his arms as if he could shield him from the blast. Something twinkled in the angel's eyes, and Misato closed her own, knowing that it was over.

Unit One came through the wall and punched it in the face.

The Eva pushed into the command center, towering over them all even as it hunched over, the umbilical from the cage dragging behind it. Misato stared in numb shock as Unit One grabbed the angel by its great bony visage and forced it backwards with both hands, Asuka's scream of fury made into a primal roar by the Eva's external speakers. The entire deck groaned as she dragged the creature back, away from the bridge, towards the cages, battering down the walls at it went.

"The launch button!" Asuka's tiny voice came through Maya's portable console, "Somebody press the launch button!"

Maya typed the command, and the floor shook with the power of the hydraulic rams launching Eva and angel back out into the Geofront.

"Come on," Misato shouted, "Everybody outside."

She turned to Shinji, but he was gone.

* * *

><p>Asuka felt only hate.<p>

It boiled from her center, pounded like a drum in her heart, and flowed through her veins like fire. When they hit the surface together, she rolled over on the angel, dragging it along with her. She picked it up, dragging its entire huge mass with Unit One's bare hands, and slammed it into the ground, grinding it into the earth and digging a deep trench in the earth. She mounted it and began beating it with her fists, pounding on the core, until bone-like teeth reached up and snapped closed around it. Asuka emptied her lungs in a furious scream.

"No, it won't be that easy, you bastard!"

She wedged her fingers under the bone, yanked her arms back, and snapped them free. The angel shrieked in fury and in pain, and bucked underneath her, but she kept her grip and began pounding on it. Her fury was such that she would have bitten it, had she been able. She reared up and mashed Unit One's horn into the angel's middle, ripping and tearing at its flesh, shouting wordlessly in fury.

It blasted her.

She got her arm up in time, but the force of the blast rolled Unit One up and back, and her stomach pressed into her spine and rolled, trying to force her to vomit as the entire Eva turned, end over end. She came to rest after sliding along the ground, uprooting trees and scouring away the fields of grass. She grunted and rolled back up, holding the arm in front of her face. It was useless now, the joints melted and fused, so that her hand was a shapeless club. Her own arm was burning, streamers of pain running up her wrist and elbow every time she moved, but she ignored it and used the Eva's good hand to push herself back up.

The bottom part of the angel unfolded. Thin streamers of metallic flesh unfurled with a great flapping sound and curled around the angel. A length of it whipped out, viper quick, and before she realized what happened, her useless club-arm was sheared away the shoulder and fell free. When the pain hit, she screamed, grabbing at her shoulder, helplessly trying to remember that her own arm was still there. The rest of the tentacles whipped out and crushed her back into the ground. A pair of them wrapped around Unit One's waist, and a second pair scythed under the armor, prying at it. Pain gurgled out of her throat, and she grabbed at her midsection, aflame with agony, and curled in the seat.

She saw him. Shinji landed right on the angel's core, ripped one of its tooth-armor pieces free, and began jamming the jagged, pointed end into the angel's core. He pounded it again and again, and she managed to draw in a heavy breath of oxygenated liquid as the pressure around her middle released, and the Eva was able to move slightly. Its entire form ground against her, and every willed impulse drew a new map of pain across her limbs. She was bleeding- it was fogging the LCL in front of her face.

One of the angel's arms lashed around Shinji, crushing around him so that he could not move. She willed the Eva to rise, slamming the control yoke forward and back, screaming, as the angel lifted him in front of its face. It almost seemed to see her. There was a twinkling light in its eyes, the beam lanced out, and the end of its own tentacle was blasted away into nothingness.

So was Shinji.

Asuka screamed, she screamed and screamed and yanked on the controls so hard she thought she would tear them off. The LCL bubbled in front of her face, and her eyes burned with tears, her sight so blurred she could no longer see the angel. She could summon no sound but anguished, gurgling cries that were half shriek and half sob, and she bucked wildly against the seat, willing the Eva to move, her own pain forgotten.

Something happened. She felt it again, that strange double beat in her chest, and then again, and again, and again and again and again, and she heard, as it were, a noise of thunder.

* * *

><p>Misato ran from the service entrance, stopping for the barest instance to turn and see the ruins of the pyramid, blasted off like a melted bar of soap, cratered and still smoking, and walked backwards for a few steps until she turned around just in time to see something tiny lifted in the arms of the angel, lifted before its face and blasted into oblivion, and she knew exactly what it was.<p>

Misato screamed, and she fell to her knees.

She barely heard Maya. "Something's happening!"

Unit One arose from its position of repose, one armed, quivering. Something moved under the armor plates, somehow, pushing against them, and the shoulder pylons shuddered. There was a terrible, feral red glow in the Eva's eyes, an incandescent fury that bathed the entire cavern in a false sunset. Unit One hurled its head back, and with a great, clattering sound, the mouth guard tore open, revealing the stubby teeth beneath. It leaned back and it roared, an ancient sound from an alien world, full of anguish and hate, and the angel heard it, for it quivered, as in fear.

She, whether it was Asuka or the Eva itself, Misato did not know, swept her one good arm around, wrapped the angel's fleshy appendages around it and around it, and yanked. When the two connected, a might shockwave rang out, like a ringing bell. The angel, wailing in torment, blasted itself free, leaving hanging strands of its own flesh hanging from Unit One's arm.

The Eva looked at it, curled it into its hands, and _ate it._

As it swallowed the angelic flesh, tearing at it in great sloshing bites, the angry stump of its lost arm bubbled and burst forth with new grey flesh, ashen and dead looking, erupting around fresh gleaming bones, gangly fibers of nervous tissue weaving themselves through it. Maya turned from her portable console and wretched, a heavy splat of vomit falling on the broken concrete beside her. Hyuga moved to steady her, but his gaze was on the Eva.

Rising, snarling like a beast, the Eva moved on all fours, scrabbling spider-like across the Geofront. The angel reared up and fired a blast, and Misato winced. The energy spilled harmlessly across the Eva's AT-Field, crackling out into space. Misato rushed to Maya's side.

The girl swiped at her mouth and coughed. She stared at her screen and mumbled to herself. "Impossible," she said, "it's impossible!"

"What?" Misato shouted over the raging din of the battle. "What's happening?"

"This isn't a normal berserker state!" Maya shouted back. "The cable has been severed, the Eva is powering itself!"

Misato looked up just in time to see the Eva fold its arms over its chest. It took hold of its shoulder pylons, wrapping the armored fingers of one hand and the long, spindly claws of the other around them, and pulled. The entire machine, the entire _beast_ shuddered, grunting and snuffing like an enraged animal. In a single great motion, the pylons came free, crashing to the ground, and furious energy arced around the Eva's shoulders and head.

"Oh my God," Maya shouted, "She's destroyed the control harness! The Eva is _loose!"_

"What?" said Misato, "What the hell does that mean?"

"The beast inside the machine is free!"

Unit One bellowed and charged the angel, shrugging off another blast as if it were a stiff wind. It dragged the creature closer by its own arms until it was on top of it, forcing it to the ground, and raked its body with long, thin claws that now sprouted obscenely from both hands, drawing long, bleeding furrows in its enemy's flesh, scything through the armor as if it were paper. Unit One reared back, snarled, and plunged down, shoving both of its hands and its mouth into the angel's core. When it came back up, long tendrils of livid red flesh hung down from its jaws. Like a dog tearing at a hunk of meat, it threw its head from side to side, working the flesh into its jaws as it chewed. It ate and ate, tearing at the angel's body until the core was gone, and then deeper inside for good measure, carving out a great rent in its center. It pulled the mask free, cracked it in half, and licked the inside, swallowing a mouthful of yellow ichor.

It stopped, and it turned, still hunched over its prey. For a terrible moment, Misato thought that it was looking at them, until she turned over her shoulder.

Unit Two had launched.

* * *

><p>Asuka floated in a strange place. She smelled the soft smell of blue roses, and felt warm arms around her body. A face at once familiar and distant was pressed close to hers, warm air shared between their breaths. She had beautiful green eyes, and rich chestnut hair, and she looked like Rei… and she looked like Shinji.<p>

"Who are you?" said Asuka.

The woman hugged her closer. "It's alright that you don't remember me," she whispered, "I remember you."

"Who are you?" Asuka repeated.

"You know who I am," the woman whispered in her ear, giving her a soft, motherly kiss on the cheek.

"Yes," said Asuka. "I know you, Aunt Yui."

"You have given me a very special gift," said Yui.

"What is it?" said Asuka.

"To see my son," she said, "though the eyes of the girl who loves him."

Asuka felt warm, and she felt safe, and she snuggled against her. She started to cry.

"He's gone," said Asuka. "I couldn't save him. It killed him."

"No," said Yui, "No, beautiful child. He's not dead. He can't be dead."

"How do you know?"

"Because," Yui whispered. "He's Superman. He can do anything."

Asuka smiled. "I think you're right."

"I have something for you," she said, "Something very special, a gift only I can give you."

"What is it?"

"You'll see," she said, "In time."

Yui tensed abruptly, crushing Asuka to her chest. She felt small and childlike, protected. "No," she shouted, "No, you can't take her, I won't let you."

Asuka turned her head very slowly, already knowing what she would see. Kaworu stood there, grinning, his red eyes luminous with some ancient thought, his teeth blood and sharp. His sight made her shiver, but there was more, and she could not look away. Beside her, a woman knelt, pale of skin but for the red marks around her throat where the extension cord tightened, her cerulean blue eyes, blue as though they were stolen from the sky, pleading.

"Asuka please," Kyoko croaked, "He's hurting me."

Asuka shoved Yui away, charging towards Kaworu, screaming in fury.

"Asuka!" Yui shouted, "No! _Don't!" _

Kaworu caught her by the chin, and drew her face close to his.

"Oh my," he murmured, "You're mine now, and I have such sights to show you."

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<em>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

_Chapter Fifteen: When the Man Comes Around_


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Misato had never felt so small, so weak, so insignificant, as when Unit Two passed over her head. The Eva rose up from the earth, hunched, lurking, arms hanging at its sides, its right hand a burned, scorched stump. It paid her and the others no mind as it passed the ruins of the pyramid, stepped over them, and charged Unit One. What happened, happened so fast she could barely make sense of it. The two Evas grappled. Unit One moved with speed and purpose, an intelligence that belied its bestial aspect moments before, turning and twisting the crimson Eva. She used her claws to slash away Unit Two's umbilical, and deftly struck at it, seeking not to maim, it seemed, but to dissuade, to disable its opponent.<p>

She felt the air change, and smelled the wet cement stink of ozone as their AT-Field's met, pooling against each other, two translucent panes of light sliding on each other like oil pouring over the surface of water. Unit Two was overmatched. Whatever Asuka, or whatever other intelligence might be controlling Unit One, had done, it had stolen something from the angel and made itself greater. Unit Two bowled backwards onto its back, wriggling like a bug out of Unit One's grasp. A pressure waved washed over her, blowing tufts of charred grass around her feet.

"I don't have any data from Unit Two!" Maya shouted, "I'm totally cut off!"

Misato nodded, absently. It didn't seem important. Unit Two stood, pushed against the AT-Field, and did something, she couldn't say what. The whole form was glowing, wreathed in crimson light, leaking through the shoulder pylons as they creaked and groaned, shifting as something pressed them upwards from the Eva's shoulders. She remembered the day the Eva went berserk and shuddered- it had tried to cast off the pylons before. The AT-Field that Unit Two manifested changed, warped, and there was a sound in the air, a sub-audible thrum like the low strings of a bass orchestra all being struck at once. The fields folded in on each other, wrapped around the Evas, and Misato heard a very human scream. Unit Two hugged Unit One, drew it close to its own chest, and there was a flash of light.

Misato stumbled. Air began to rush around the Geofront in a great whirlwind, and tiny dust devils swirled around her feet. She could see dust flowing across the pavement, sliding towards the two Evas. A mass of black, swirling not like fog or like mist but like some inversion of light, opened from between the two Evas, whirled, and swallowed them in a pitch-black sphere, like dull obsidian, but lacking solidity.

"Maya," said Misato, "Can you tell me just what the hell that's supposed to be?"

May had nothing for her but dull shock. The winds began to die down, and Misato heard an engine. An APC rumbled over the dead grass and came to rest with a forward bounce and a grinding of gears. The rear end unfolded and Kaji came running out, Ritsuko stumbling behind him. They both stopped and stared, standing beside Misato and the stunned bridge crew at the rise of a black sun. The shape stopped expanding and simply sat there, seeming to spin slightly even though it had no real form, being a void in space.

"What the hell happened?" Kaji shouted over the wind.

"I don't know," said Misato. "The angel was tearing headquarters apart and Asuka attacked it, and, and- I think it might have killed Shinji. Unit One went insane and it… it _ate_ the angel!"

"Look!" said Ritsuko, pointing.

She saw him- he flew, seeming to stumble in the air, twisting and turning as though something were tugging at him. Shinji lifted up from the ground, hovered in the air for a moment, and without a second more of hesitation, plunged into the black sphere. Misato screamed and bolted forward, stopped only as Kaji took her by the arms and pulled her back.

"What is that thing?" Misato shouted, struggling against him.

"You said it ate the angel," said Ritsuko, oddly calm. "Did it eat the core?"

"What?" said Misato, "Yes, it ate the core. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Impossible," said Ritsuko. "It's stable."

"What?" Misato demanded, shaking her by the shoulders.

Ritsuko stared at her dumbly. "Unit One must have absorbed the angel's super-solenoid organ. That would explain this."

"How?"

She stared at the black sphere. "An inverted AT-Field could create a singularity."

"A black hole?" said Kaji. "That doesn't make any sense, a black whole would-"

"No," said Ritsuko, "It's not a black hole, it's a wormhole. A gateway into another universe. The inverted AT-Field must have created a theoretical space, a shadow dimension that swallows anything that falls into it."

"Unit Two is in there, too," said Misato. "It attacked Unit One, and did something with the AT-Field."

Ritsuko rushed to Maya. "Do you have any data?"

"No," Maya whimpered. "Unit One went crazy and there's nothing but gibberish, and Unit Two never gave me any readings at all."

"Is there a chance he can pull them out?" said Kaji.

Ritsuko shrugged. "I don't know. The equations all predicted the effect would be unstable, that the wormhole would collapse immediately and destroy everything pulled into it. I have no idea what I'm dealing with here."

"Is it safe to move around the Geofront?" said Misato. "Rei is still out there somewhere, we need to recover her. She must be hurt, her Eva was demolished."

"I don't know," said Ritsuko. "I have no idea what we're dealing with here. If it isn't safe, it won't be safe anywhere."

"Alright," Misato turned to Hyuga. "Get a recovery crew out to the Unit Zero wreckage, I want her found and I want her in the infirmary if she's still alive. No one is to go near that thing, under any circumstances."

"We can set up a temporary command center in my lab," said Ritsuko. "Are the MAGI intact?"

"I don't know. We took a hell of a pounding."

Ritsuko looked grim. Misato shared the sentiment.

* * *

><p>Asuka was in a terrible place.<p>

She stumbled forward, wondering how she'd gotten here. There was something wrong. She was _short_. She felt tiny, crushed under the weight of the walls around her, distant and somehow close, looming over her as if they meant to fall on her. She recognized the smells, the stinging antiseptic smell of soap that every hospital tried to hide. Her polished leather shoes clicked on the tile floor as she walked. She passed a hospital stretcher. Her head barely reached the bottom of the mattress. When she touched her scalp, there were ribbons there, holding it back, and she was dressed in a frilly green dress.

"Hello?" she called, but there was no answer.

She kept walking. The hallway never seemed to end. No matter how far she went, the end of the hall, a distant convergence of the walls and the buzzing fluorescent lights over her head, never seemed to get any closer, and there were no doors, only the same empty bed, over and over again. Panic gripped her like a vice, and she started running towards the doors, hoping there would be some escape on the other side.

She stumbled, and forced herself to keep running. The floor was moving, sliding under her feet, inexorably carrying her backwards, further and further from the doors. They grew distant, for hard as she might run, the floor carried her back, ceaselessly. She tripped and she fell, sliding across the floor, and rolled over onto her back as the floor rocketed away from the doors. The walls flew by in a blur, the same bed passing by over and over again, until abruptly stopped with a clanking, grinding sound like the seizing of gears, and the momentum rolled over and over into the wall. She sat up and shook her head, trying to chase the dizziness from it, and only made it worse.

"There's a door," she said, to no one at all.

She stood up, leaning on the wall, and walked towards the end of the hallway, now in sight. This was a different door, a wide single door that hung ajar, a pale light within. Asuka stood near it, listening at the crack, and she shivered when she heard a harsh, croaking voice, a mad voice, a dry voice. She pushed on the door, and froze. The thing on the bed, a lurking mass of brittle straw hair, clutched something small in clawed fingers.

"Oh," it rasped, "It's just that girl. Don't worry, Asuka, she won't hurt you."

The thing clutched the form to its chest, and Asuka saw what it was. A doll. The doll looked at her with sightless blue button eyes under a mop of red yarn, faded to the color of carrots. The woman lurking under the brittle hair did not look at her, but stroked the doll, running long, cracked fingernails through the strands of yarn.

"Shhh," she whispered, "That girl won't hurt you."

Asuka walked through the small, cold room, and stood at the edge of the bed, staring up at the bloodshot blue eyes, hidden behind frizzed strands of strawberry blonde hair. Those eyes flicked to her, filled with loathing and contempt. Asuka touched the woman's sleeve.

"But Mama," said Asuka, "That's a doll. I'm Asuka."

"_Liar!" _she screamed, slapping Asuka away.

Broken fingernails scrabbled over her face, scratching her skin. Hot tears stung her eyes, and her lip quivered. She sobbed and fell to her knees, rubbing fiercely at her eyes. The woman on the bed turned away from her and cooed softly to the doll, rocking it in her arms. The sight of it made Asuka's chest hurt, a deep, pulling pain, as though someone had tied a string about her heart and was set on tearing it out. A small hand touched her shoulder.

There was a boy. He was her age, and skinny, and he wore a white shirt and black shorts and little sandals. His hair was frizzy, in a great ball around his head, and silver. Asuka laughed through her tears, he looked like a dandelion. His eyes were red, not from tears but because they just _were_. He tapped her shoulder again.

"Hello."

"Hello," Asuka sniffed.

She glanced at her mother. She ignored them.

"I'm Kaworu."

"I'm Asuka."

"I can make it better," said Kaworu, holding out his hand.

"Asuka! Don't!"

A woman walked in the room. Asuak thought she knew her. She was dressed as a nurse in a white smock and a bonnet with a red cross. She had chestnut hair and green eyes, and a warm smile that made Asuka feel safe. She knelt down beside Asuka and held out her hand to her.

"Don't listen to him," she whispered softly, ruffling Asuka's hair. "I can take you away from the bad place. Would you like that?"

Asuka nodded, snuffling. She brushed at her nose with the back of her sleeve.

"I have a son. You know him, his name is Shinji. Do you remember Shinji?"

Asuka blinked. She knew that name. He was important, somehow.

There was a window over her mother's bed. The sun was shining through it. Was that there before?

The nurse stood up, offering her hand. "Come on, we'll go home, and you'll never come to the bad place again."

Kaworu frowned, and cocked his head to the side. "Nice try."

Asuka looked at him, when he looked back, the woman with the kind green eyes was gone, and in her place was another woman, a shorter woman, heavy of chest with dark hair that ran down over her nurses's scrubs in shining waves, and she looked down at Asuka with a mix of contempt and distaste. Her hips swayed as she walked to the door, and a tall man with dark red hair moved to greet her. She rose up onto her tip-toes to kiss him, and he pushed her inside, shoving the door back behind him, ignoring Asuka and her mother. Kaworu stood behind her.

"They don't need you," he whispered. "I'll make it go away."

Asuka shied away from him and whimpered, but no one in the room noticed her. Her father pushed the nurse back against the wall, sliding his hand between her flesh and the elastic waistband of her pants, and snapped it. She squealed with joy, and she turned around, planting her feet apart, looking over her shoulder with a predatory grin.

Asuka screamed and ran for the door, yanking on it, not looking. It popped free and she ran into the hallway, as fast as her little legs would carry her. Something whipped behind her, whirling in the air. A length of orange extension cord wrapped around and around her leg, and yanked her legs out from under her. She came down hard on the tiles, and the jarring impact made her bit her tongue. She screamed as the cord dragged her backwards with a squeak as she slid over the cold tires. It dragged her back through the door, and more cords ensnared her arms and legs, turning her over.

The thing on the bed had lifted up into the air, like a spider, on a web of extension cords. The doll lay on the floor, the head torn free, bleeding white stuffing yellowed from age and dirt. The woman's throat was bound with layers and layers of cord, squeezing her neck down until her face was purple and her eyes bulged, the lids unable to close over them. She smiled, and when she smiled, her face split, widening into a mad grin. Cords wrapped themselves around Asuka's throat and crushed her airway.

"Quick!" Kaworu said, appearing at her side, "Take my hand!"

Asuka tried to cry out, but no sound escaped her lips. Blood dribbled down her chin, and the wires were crushing her, digging into her skin, trapping her lungs until they burned and her eyes watered, blurring the world. She gurgled and struggled but it was too strong, the wires were too tight, and she couldn't move.

"I can get you out," Kaworu pleaded, "It's me, or this, forever."

She was about to take his hand with her free arm when the world warped. The walls and the floor rolled, the way a rubber sheet does when a heavy weight is dropped on it, something undulating underneath them. The plaster of the walls cracked and tiles flew up, and Kaworu stumbled, falling onto the floor. He looked around in a panic as the thing on the bed slumped and Asuka was free, gasping wildly for air.

"What?" Kaworu snarled. "No, he can't be here! This is my place, he can't be here!"

Asuka turned around, frantic. "You're not my Mama!" she screamed at the hunched thing on the bed. "My Mama died, she's gone!"

A tiny voice whispered to her. _I'm here, Asuka. Help me._

She turned, whirled in every direction, looking for the source of the voice. There was a closet door she didn't remember seeing before. She ran for it.

Kaworu grabbed her hair and yanked her back from it, tearing a scream from her throat.

"That _hurt!" _she shrieked, pounding him with her fists. "Leave me alone!"

"He won't find you," Kaworu growled, looming over her, huge and dark and red of eye. "If it takes a thousand years you'll come to me willingly."

He shoved her, and she fell down, on pavement. She looked around. It looked familiar, this was part of the route she took to school with Shinji, but it was dark outside. She had no idea what she'd be doing out so late. She had a strange feeling as she stood up, as though she'd just woken from a dream, but she couldn't have, she wasn't asleep. She thought she'd dreamed of a hospital.

* * *

><p>Shinji spun around. He didn't remember landing, only flying into the black void, and the sudden, all-consuming cold as it washed over his skin. Somehow, he ended up standing in the Geofront, but it was completely empty. Above him, the glittering array of mirrors was intact. There were no Evas, the headquarters stood tall, gleaming, undamaged, and the trees and the grass and the lake were all pristine, too perfect even, like a painting.<p>

He started to walk. The impulse set on him, and without really thinking about it, he started walking. He was moving towards the lake. He could smell it, the deep musk of the waters, and he heard the slapping of the fish they stocked it with, sliding and sluicing through the waters. The lake didn't have much of a beach- most of it was just mud, but there was a thin section where it had been sanded, that very much resembled one. He saw someone, and some strange conviction settled on him that this was the only person in the world.

She was sitting on a large rock, skimming stones over the water. He walked up behind her, feeling ashamed that he'd disturbed her. She was dressed for summer, in an air sleeveless sun dress and a straw hat tied with a long blue ribbon. Her arms showed too much skin, and she would peel later. She skipped another stone and motioned for him to sit beside her.

He moved to her side and sat down. She turned and smiled warmly, and he thought he might fall into those warm green eyes. When the recognition hit him, he leaped into her, bowling over off the rock, crushing her to his chest. Tears stung his eyes as he pressed his face into her hair, drinking in her scent. Joy, pure like a glittering beam of sunshine, flowed through him.

"Mother," he said, "Mother, it's me."

"Oh, Shinji," she said, hugging him back, fiercely. "It's so good to see you. Careful, you'll crush me!"

She laughed and kissed his forehead. "You're so big and so strong! You have to tell me everything."

"Oh," he said, sitting on the sand beside her. "I missed you so much. Where did you go?"

"Away for a time," she said warmly, touching his cheek, "But I'm back now, and you'll never be alone again."

"Shinji," another voice said.

He snapped around, infuriated at the intrusion, and was on his feet. His mother tugged at his cape. "Wait," she said, "It doesn't matter. Stay with me. I love you, Shinji."

"Shinji," the other said, "It's not real. It's a trap. Remember why you came here."

Shinji stared at her. "Why are you wearing that?"

His mother was as the day she died, or rather the day she left. Her hair was slicked back to her head to accommodate the helmet she would put on, and she had on the suit- a thick, heavy diving suit, compared to the thin wetsuits that the modern plugsuits were. It was bulky and heavy with large panels over her chest and back and it looked uncomfortable to wear, almost like a space suit. She held out a gloved hand to Shinji.

The other one tugged at him. "Please, don't leave me again, Shinji. I love you."

Shinji swept his arm across his cape, yanking out of her hands. He moved to the other, standing on the beach.

"Are you real?" he said.

"What do you think?"

He touched her, cupping her head in his hands. He felt her warmth, the soft feeling of her hair on his fingers. He leaned into her and hugged her, crushing the bulk of her suit to his chest, and she made a small grunting sound from the air being forced out of her lungs.

"Careful, you really are strong."

"Get away from my son!" the thing in the dress screamed, scrabbling over his shoulders.

She clawed at Shinji with long, sharp fingernails. Mother pulled her arm back and punched the thing in the dress in the face, toppling it backwards. It hit the sand and shattered like glass, spreading across the beach. Two shards, held her eyes, as though reflected in a shattered mirror, blinking.

"Mother," said Shinji, "What's happening?"

"I tried to keep her away from him, but that thing stole her from me," said Yui, stroking Shinji's hair. "He has her now, and he's trying to break her. We have to get her out."

"Get her out?" he said. "Can I bring you back? Are you back now?"

Her lip trembled. She closed her eyes. "No, Shinji, but we can still save her. You can take her home."

He bit down hard on a sob, and hugged her again. "I love you."

"I know," she said, "Come on. It's this way."

She took his hand and pulled him along. There was a path from a beach, a path he didn't remember. It led between two trees, and as they stepped into it, they were in a forest. When he looked up he saw only sky. The Geofront was gone. He stopped in his tracks.

"How did we get on the surface?"

"None of this is real," said Yui. "Don't let go of my hand, he might take you again."

"Who?"

"Keel's monster. Kaworu. He stole Unit Two and used it against me after I took the super solenoid within myself. He mingled out AT-Fields and created a theoretical universe. He wants Asuka, Shinji. He wants her to be the vessel of Instrumentality."

"What is that?"

Yui sighed. "An ancient dream." She tugged him on, and started to walk. "After we learned of the angels, we thought it might be possible to end humanity's isolation from one another, to combine the AT-Fields of all humanity into a single being. No one would ever be lonely. There would be no death, no disease, no suffering. You would be born into a paradise. That's what we believed."

"What happened?"

"We tried to steal fire from heaven and we were burned. These things are beyond us, Shinji. I had no choice. I allowed the Eva to take me, hoping I would give you a chance to stop it. I thought if I could control Instrumentality, I could prevent the rest of humanity from being taken and end the threat of the angels."

Shinji nodded. "What happens if this Instrumentality thing starts?"

"Everyone will die," said Yui. "Every living thing on Earth will lose its form and revert to LCL, the primal stuff of life. Their souls will all be joined in a single vessel, the great goddess Lilith. We will lose all that we are. There will be no suffering because there will be no one to suffer. There will be only a single mind, a single being, perfect and invincible, contemplating itself in an empty world forever."

"Whose mind?"

"Lorenz Keel, the head of Seele, believed it he mingled his flesh with the flesh of Adam, the father of the angels, that it would be his mind, but he's wrong. He'll die, just like the rest of us."

Shinji stopped. They were truly isolated, now. The path seemed to have no beginning or end, only winding through the forest, and if he looked either way he saw only mist that glowed like polished silver in the high sun. The air was dry, though, and warm, not at all uncomfortable.

"This has to be stopped," said Shinji, "at any cost."

"No," said Yui, "not at any cost. I believed, Shinji. Even after Second Impact, I believed. I thought there was nothing left for us but to all die. My only dream was to escape and live in the void forever as a grave marker for humanity, so that someone would know we were here."

"You sound like him," said Shinji. "Like…"

"Kal-El," said Yui. "Yes, I saw him too, when I reopened the rocket. That's how your father learned of it. He passed it on to Seele."

"You saw him?"

"I did," she whispered, touching his cheek. "I knew then that I had to carry out the plan. Nothing could change. No one knew that you'd been created, that the Kryptonian machine had delivered its payload. I heard his message and when I went into the Eva, I wasn't afraid. I knew you would be able to stop this."

"Mother," he said as he walked beside her again, "There's so much I have to tell you, I-"

"It's alright," she said, softly, "What Asuka knows, I know also."

"Uh," said Shinji. "You mean _everything_ she knows?"

Yui smiled at him. Shinji turned as red as a beet, heat prickling on his cheeks.

In the distance, there was a scream. Shinji turned to it, and tugged her forward on the path.

"Wait," she said, "this is taking too long. I have to get you there faster. I might be able to reach her. Close your eyes."

He did as he was bid, and she stepped closer to him. He choked up when he realized, as she held him, that he was a head taller than she was. He put his arms around her neck and something happened. The air went cold, and when he opened his eyes, they were somewhere else, standing on a road in the middle of vast open fields that stretched out to infinity on low, undulating hills. As he turned around he saw a castle.

"What is that?" said Shinji.

"It's not real," said Yui. "It's a construct."

The structure was enormous, and nonsensical. It hurt his eyes to look at it. The gates were crooked, their shape so skewed it seemed impossible for them to stand barred and closed, yet they were. The tower on one side of the gate was tall and square while the other was low and round, and yet to see them at once, they appeared the same size. Beyond it, walls moved and intersected with each other, forming strange angles that didn't match up with one another. Towers jutted up like bad teeth, spread out from each other at strange angles like the arms of cacti, and there were doors that stood above windows, somehow. The stone of the castle was as black as pitch and somehow streaked with darker soot. It rose up overhead like a mountain, and when his gaze reached its summit, he saw something chained.

Bound at the top of the castle was a giantess, an immense figure railing and struggling at two towers from which chains strained and pulled, clamped around her wrists and ankles. Her face could have been beautiful but was a mask of fury. She yanked and struggled and flailed, and she cried Asuka's name. Shinji gasped when she was wearing a suit, like Yui's, but red. Of course, it would be red.

"That's Kyoko, isn't it?" said Shinji.

"Yes," said Yui. "he has made her a prison for her daughter."

Shinj clenched his fists, took a step, and lifted off. He then immediately hit the ground again.

"What?"

"The rules are different here," said Yui. "We are nearing the intersection of the AT-Fields. I have no power beyond those gates, he's already pushed me back. You have to go, Shinji. You have to find her. Remember your love and it will be beacon for her. Go."

Shinji ran, charged up to the gates, and with all his might, turned and put his fist into the wood. The whole structure shuddered, groaned, and he saw cracks spreading through the walls. He hit it again, and it undulated, changing. The gates shifted, creaking, the shape of the portal that they closed over changing before they could keep up, and he wedged his fingers into the gap and spread it, grunting with effort. The wood splintered and yawned open, creaking and squealing, and the opening was big enough for him to crawl inside. He took a last look back at his mother.

He saw a beautiful woman on a summer day, waving to her son.

Behind her were three shapes, watching him.

* * *

><p>"Oh," said Misato, "Oh God."<p>

Rei was a ruin. They'd bandaged her as best she could, but she was going to die, it was plain to see. Her left arm was withered down to nothing, wrapped in bandages mostly to prevent infection. It would be gone, if she lived. Half of her head was covered in a dense bandage, and her eye was swollen shut. Misato, arguably, had better things to do. Commander Ikari would have let them wheel her off into the infirmary and gone back to whatever it was needed doing. Misato was not Commander Ikari.

Ritsuko walked into the room. She looked down in Rei with a blank expression, although the edges of her lips trembled.

"She's going to die," said Ritsuko.

Misato turned to her in shock, but said nothing. She was right, after all. Looking down on her, it was a miracle she was alive at all. The beeping machines were around her, measuring everything about her, quantifying her. Misato shivered. The girl had spent enough time wrapped up in machines. She stepped out into the hallway, and Ritsuko followed her.

"Do you think I should give the order?" said Misato.

"What order?"

"To… you know."

Ritsuko paled. "Come with me."

Misato followed her. She slowed as she passed Hikari's room, also in the intensive care ward. Her family and the Suzahara boy were crowded inside. The boy was asleep, head resting on Kodama's shoulder, while Hikari's little sister slept in her lap. Only the father was awake, staring into space, expressionless. Misato wanted to say something, but when she tried, there were no words finding their way past their lips.

Ritsuko stopped and looked in, biting her lip, and then hurried away, turned to the floor. Misato hurried after her until they made it to the elevator, took it up to the upper level, and headed down the access tunnel towards the main base. Thankfully, like most of the structures in the Geofront, the hospital was partly subterranean, and had taken only superficial damage in the pounding the city had received.

"They took her arm," Ritsuko said to the air, "and her eye."

"You can't blame yourself for that."

She had no reply. When they reached the main base, Misato jumped at the sound of something immense creaking, and cursed herself. She pressed on, following Ritsuko, who moved mechanically, ignoring the sounds of hasty repairs and creaking metal and masonry that were slowly, inexorably falling apart.

"Where are we going?"

Ritsuko ignored her, waiting for the elevator. When it opened, she stepped inside, fishing in her pocket for a key. When Misato was inside, she pushed the close-door button, turned the key, and locked out the control panel. A small section at the very bottom flipped down, and she pushed the single button that waited there. The elevator began to sink.

"I'm going to show you why pulling the plug on her is pointless."

The ride was silent, and it seemed to go on forever. When the doors finally opened, a rush of cold air greeted her. The hallways outside the elevator were unfinished, even compared to the Spartan levels above, all bare concrete, in some places still showing marks in paint and chalk from the construction crews. The halls were set at right angles, too, rather than the confusing maze of the base proper. It looked like an old, dilapidated school, rather than a high tech facility with an operating budget that rivaled nations.

Ritsuko came to a rather bland looking door, typed a code into the keypad next to it, and pulled it open, holding it for Misato. She stepped into the darkness beyond and waited for the door to hiss closed on a gas piston before she flicked on the light. The lights came up with a heavy, whining thump, slowly building from a gloom to a powerful illumination from sodium lights, bathing the concrete room in yellow. There were inscriptions on the walls-something about flavor and charm. The middle of the room was dominated by scuff marks and old grime, ghosts left behind when machinery was removed from the room.

"What is this place?" said Misato, her words echoing from the walls.

"This is where Rei was made," said Ritsuko, "Before I began working here. I was in grad school, you were in Berlin with Kaji."

"What do you mean, made?"

"She was manufactured," said Ritsuko. "Rei is a clone, a combination of genetic material from the Evangelions, Yui Ikari, and another source. When I first saw it, all I knew was that it was synthetic nervous tissue, part of some sort of computer system."

"You mean," said Misato, "Like the MAGI."

"Precisely. The same type of tissue, in fact. At first, I simply assumed that it was the result of the same process used to create the tissue in the MAGI system. When I learned about that binder in Gendo's office, it all clicked."

"What clicked?"

"Rei combines elements of Kryptonian technology with the human form. She is, in effect, a living computer, and like any computer, we can make backups."

"Backups?" said Misato.

"Let's go," said Ritsuko. "It's through here."

There was another door, a series of them, in fact. Finally, they reached the only part of this area of the complex that seemed to see any use. Like the rest of the place, it was dark, lit only by a massive tank of bubbling water at the rear of the room, filled with floating shapes. A cold ball formed in Misato's stomach as she walked inside. The room was dominated by a large tube, and she could see some kind of apparatus overhead, connecting it to the tank.

Ritsuko turned the lights on, and Misato saw.

There were a dozen Reis floating in the tank, moving around slowly on the current, bathed in red from the strange color of the LCL. They stared into space with fixed expressions of mindless joy, drifting into one another or the wall of the tank and bouncing apart. Misato started to shake, until she clenched her fists.

"What is this?"

"The tube is for making the backups," said Ritsuko. "Once a week, she'd come down here, and we'd make a backup of her brain patterns. In the event of her death, a new clone would be uploaded with that data and become the new Rei."

"So if she dies, she just wakes up down here."

"No," said Ritsuko. "She just dies. It doesn't work that way. The clone wakes up with her memories, but it's not her. I wanted to believe it would be, but it wasn't."

Misato looked at her, staring into the tank, and she felt the heat rising in her throat. "You… you've done this, haven't you?"

"He made me," Ritsuko said softly.

"What?"

"After the first attack, the second Rei was too badly injured. It was a mercy, she would have been paralyzed and lived for a few weeks in agony."

Misato folded her arms across her chest. "I bet that makes it easy for you to sleep at night."

"No," she said thickly, "It doesn't. When I first started, I hated her."

"Why? She's a little girl, he-"

"Because he loved her, and not me. Because he used me but he never smiled for me. I was glad to pull the plug on her when he gave the order. I thought she deserved it."

"What happened?"

"He didn't love her, he never loved anyone."

Ritsuko touched the glass. "I murdered her because I was jealous of her, and it took her death for me to see the truth. It was a way to manipulate her, just like he manipulated me. That man is a monster, and he makes everyone else monsters."

Ritsuko pulled a gun out of her pocket. Misato froze.

"Rits," she said, gently. "What are you doing?"

"I don't deserve to live," she said, flatly. The gun was still pointed earthwards.

"I thought I could make up for it," she said to the tank. "Her medications limited her, constrained her abilities. I walked them back, decreasing the doses, and she got smarter, more like her true self. She's a computer, so I programmed her. I used the excuse of the targeting program for the palette rifle to upload code into her brain. I connected her to the MAGI system."

"You were just trying to help her," said Misato, gently. "Come on, let me have that gun."

"It didn't matter," Ritsuko sobbed. "She's a pile of meat up there and she's going to die, and the next one will go through the same thing, and the one after that, and the one after that. Hikari is going to die. Asuka and Shinji are dead. I'm like a wicked witch in a story. I eat children."

Misato swallowed. "Rits, that isn't true. Hikari is alive, you can find some way to help her. The others are alive, too."

"You're just telling yourself that," said Ritsuko. "You just don't want to see it. These _things_ killed the mothers and now they're killing the children. We're all going to die for what we've done. Nothing can stop this."

"Rits," Misato said, "Come on, don't do this. We can figure something out."

"It's too late for me," said Ritsuko, and she started to raise the muzzle of the gun.

Something whipped out of the darkness and slapped Ritsuko's hand. Misato saw a flash of metal there and a spurt of blood, and the gun clattered to the floor. Ritsuko made an agonized sound, half laugh and half sob, and dove for it. Kaji appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and threw his arm around her waist, dragging her back.

"Damn it," he shouted, "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to wait for it," Ritsuko shouted, "I'm just going to get it over with."

He pushed her against the glass. "The hell you are."

"They're all dead," Ritsuko wailed, "I just let it happen."

Kaji grabbed her hand, pulled the spike of metal free, and tossed it to the floor. He must have thrown it.

"We need to get this bandaged," he said.

"Just let me bleed," Ritsuko whimpered.

"Katsuragi," said Kaji. "You have the authority to confine her to the infirmary. We can't leave her alone."

Misato nodded. "Come on, let's get her upstairs."

* * *

><p>Asuka walked alone in a strange place. It felt normal, it felt real, like home, but it couldn't be her home. There were too many people, and they were all happy, smiling and laughing in the sunlight so bright, it hurt her eyes. She wandered in a daze, and no matter where she went, no one would look at her. She felt like a ghost, a phantom, something that didn't belong.<p>

She turned a street without remembering how she arrived there. When she turned her back, the place she left was gone, and she was alone on an empty street. The apartment build hunched at the far end, the lot empty safe for, curious, Misato's old blue Renault, the one that got messed up in the explosion before Asuka came to Tokyo-3. She tried to remember her arrival, but it was blank, a void in her mind that pained her, like an infected lump under her skin. There was something missing, something scoured out.

She walked up to the door, and entered the code. The box just beeped and returned a red light, rejecting her. She tried again, and found the same result. Each time she tried the code, it ignored her, beeping in annoyance. She grit her teeth and pounded on the door with her first, and then gasped, her rage vanishing in an instant, when she felt a cold rush on her skin and her hand passed through the door. Something curled in the back of her mind, a prickling suspicion. She put her hands on the glass and pressed, and pushed through it with ease. She found herself on the other side.

"Am I a ghost?

No one answered her.

The elevator button didn't work, so she headed up the stairs. When she pushed on the door at the top of the stairwell, the latch refused to move, but her hands passed through it. She stepped through, closing her eyes as her head touched the door, and walked into the hall. It was cold and quiet as a grave, and very dark. She walked along the hall until she reached the apartment, and stood in front of the door. She tried to knock, but her hands simply passed through it.

"What is this?" she whispered.

She heard voices. There was a light on the kitchen. In a daze, she wandered past the couch, tracing her fingers over it. They sank into the fabric. She passed into the kitchen, and Misato and Shinji were there. There were dirty plates on the table, and the room smelled off food. Asuka breathed it in.

"Hey," she said, "I'm here, I-"

"You know," said Misato, "I'm glad she's dead. She was a nuisance."

"I know," said Shinji, turning to her. "Always so demanding, always complaining, and always ranting at the drop of a hat. She was such a bitch."

Asuka gasped. Misato moved to Shinji seductively, swinging her hips, sliding against him. He wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her close, running his hand up her jacket. His fingers pinched the zipper of her skirt and started to move down, slowly, as he leaned in to kiss her. Asuka made a strangled sound and backed out of the kitchen as he turned, lifted her up onto the counter, and started pulling at the top of her dress. She heard fabric tearing as she ran out of the apartment, sobbing. It was so cold, now.

She ran and ran, without knowing where. She was outside, and she didn't remember going down the stairs. There was a blue newspaper box sitting on the street corner, and the headline showed Misato embracing Superman, locked in a deep kiss with him. Asuka gurgled a strangled cry and stepped back, until she saw something. A tiny scrap of blue cloth stuck out of the side of the box. She moved forward, grabbed the lid, and tugged. It came loose and fell down, and the paper flopped out, spraying into the wind like so many leaves, rustling. Stuffed in the box was a rumpled piece of blue cloth. She pulled it out and it unfurled in her hands, flapping in the winds.

The next paper in the box had the word "LIES" written on it.

She held up the cloth. It was some kind of a shirt. Someone gave it to her, she knew. It was blue, and on the front was a funny symbol- red and yellow interlocked, like an English "S".

"I remember this," she said.

"You look a little lost."

She turned around. There was a boy. He was pretty. That was the word that came to her, _pretty_. He was like someone out of a story. His skin was pale, like shaved ice, and his hair was silver, smoothed against his head. He was dressed to the nines in a three piece suit and a tie, all black. He reached for her with a white-gloved hand.

"I can help you find your way."

Asuka stepped back from him, pressing the shirt to her chest.

"Oh come now, a woman shouldn't be out on these streets at night. It's dangerous."

Asuka looked up. The sky was a blanket of stars, and all around her was darkness. She could see the outline of the street and buildings, but it was so dark she may as well have been blind. All she could see was the boy. He had a glow about him, an ethereal light.

It wasn't dark before.

"Just come with me, and it will be alright."

"Go away," she said, backing further down the sidewalk. She bumped into something, and tripped, almost falling.

The boy grabbed at the shirt. "You don't need that. Come with me."

She snatched it away. "It's mine, they gave it to me."

"Who?"

"I don't remember."

"See? You're confused. Come with me, and I'll take care of you. I'll take good care of you, I promise."

Asuka turned and she ran, staring at the ground in fear that she would trip. The sidewalk felt like it would go on forever, without end. She couldn't seven see the street, or the buildings anymore, only squares of cement sliding under her feet as she pumped her legs. Every time she turned, he was right behind her, keeping perfect pace without effort, holding out his hand.

"I can see this isn't working," he said.

She screamed as he yanked her back by the hair, dragging her away. She was in a hospital and the sidewalk and the street and the darkness were gone. He spun he around and yanked at the shirt, but she held it fast, so hard her fingers hurt.

"Leave me alone!"

He pushed her back, and she tripped over something. She fell back onto a table, cold and metal, under a bank of harsh lights. She put her hand up to shield her eyes and he was there, shoving her down by the shoulders. He was dressed in surgical scrubs and a leather apron, and there was a surgical mask covering his mouth and a bonnet over his hair, so that only his chalk white nose and his red eyes were visible. She was in an operating room, she realized now, surrounded by nurses, and they had no faces. They were smooth, like mannequins. Like dolls.

She started screaming.

"Hush, now, it'll be over soon," he said as they strapped her legs down, and then her arms. He pulled at the shirt but she wouldn't let go, it was important. She needed it.

He wheeled a cart over to the table. Lying on it was a long needle, and a spool of thread, and two large, blue buttons.

"Don't worry," he whispered sweetly, "You won't need eyes to see."

He froze.

She heard a familiar voice. She thought he heard it, too.

* * *

><p>Shinji heard screaming and he ran, his boot slapping on the hard stone of the castle hall. The world was bathed in darkness. No matter how hard he tried, he could see only a few feet ahead. He stopped running when he heard the quivering scream again, drew his breath. He had to remember, it wasn't real. He could run all day, and he wouldn't get anywhere. He tried to listen for the screams, but they came from everywhere at once, echoing from the very stone.<p>

So he turned, and he bashed the wall down with his bare hands. He crashed through it a shower of broken stone and powdered mortar and dust, coughing as he waved it away from his face, and he broke into another hall. This hall, though, was familiar. It was a hospital. The hole in the wall behind him was still stone, but he'd broken through drywall into a hospital hallway, next to a gurney. He closed his eyes and listened. She was close now, he could feel it. He looked up and down the hall. At one end was a wide pair of double doors, through which sunlight streamed. At the far end was a smaller, older looking door. He heard creaking and groaning doors within it. He turned towards the doors with the sunlight streaming through, and stopped.

It was still a trick. Nothing made any sense here.

"Kaworu!" he shouted, "I know you can hear me!"

_This way_

He heard the voice, he was sure of it. He didn't know if it was another trick.

_I'm up here_

He looked up, but there was only ceiling, tiles and long rectangles that glowed with double banks of fluorescent lights. He tried to fly again only to slap back to the ground, so he climbed up on the gurney, put his fists through the tiles, and pulled them down. When he pulled himself up through the hole, he was on another level of the hospital, or so he thought. There was only one way to go, this time. One end was a dead end, just flat wall, while the other was a heavy, locked door, behind a set of bars.

Shinji walked up to the bars and tested them with his hands, giving them a sharp pull. He thought about going through the wall, but he had no idea where he might come out if he did that. He wrapped his fingers around the bars again and yanked them, but they refused to budge. Despairing, he slumped against them.

He stood up, looked at the bars, and focused. He put his hands around the center most pair, moved up to them, and strained his back, grunting, and then grunt became a shout. The bars quivered, and torqued in their settings, and slowly, inexorably, they bent. He wedged himself between them and pushed, pressed them apart until he could wriggle through.

The door was worse. It was made of a thick layer of solid steel, and looked like a bank vault. He pushed against it and it failed to budge, and when he pulled at the large, unmoving handle, it snapped off in his grasp. He pounded on the door in frustration, and still it did not move. Panting, he stood there, his anger growing with every passing second. He pulled back and threw one great punch, put all his might behind it, and when he hit the steel his fist sank into it to the elbow. It dented in around the blow, the metal groaning as it bent. When he pulled back, it started to unfold immediately, forcing itself back into shape. He hit it again and again until he could get his hands around the outer edge. He didn't even try bending it. He peeled the entire thing loose in one great motion and let it crash through the side wall.

Inside was some kind of hospital room. The walls were padded, and stretched up into infinity. He couldn't see a ceiling. On a raise platform in the center was a wide four poster bed, chained down with heavy links. He walked up to it, and shuddered. On the bed was a woman. It had to be Asuka's mother. She moaned and twisted against her bonds, curling her wrists against the heavy manacles that bound them. The chains criss-crossed her body, creaking and clanking as she tried to force her way up. She was blindfolded and gagged, sweating profusely, her face an unhealthy yellow pallor. Though the gag he could hear her moaning and forming the strangled roots of screams that died away as she thrashed at her bonds.

"Kyoko!"

She froze, her head turning towards him.

"I'll get you out, don't move."

He pulled at the chains, but they tightened around her, and she moaned in pain. He ran down the length of the chain, feeling to where it was moored in the floor, bound to a heavy iron ring bolted to a concrete mooring. He yanked on the chain, and Kyoko made a strangled cry of torment. He looped his fingers through one of the rings and pulled, hoping to break it, but there was nothing he could do, it simply wouldn't budge.

"What are you doing here?"

He whirled. Kaworu stood in the room, by the bed, his hand resting on Kyoko's forehead.

"I'll kill you!" Shinji shouted, but when he put his hands around Kaworu's throat, they touched nothing but air. He was already behind Shinji.

"You made a mistake, coming here. There's nothing you can do but die."

Shinji touched his face. A metal plate was clamped down over his mouth. As he moved, manacles clapped around his wrists and his arms and legs, drawing him down as yet more chains clanked around him, wrapping about his body like pythons, crushing the breath out of him.

He heard Asuka scream again.

"Oh, don't worry," said Kaworu. "I can be in two places at once. See, I _can_ do something you can't do."

Shinji stared at him. Yui's words rang in his mind. It wasn't real, it was just a construct. If it wasn't real, then he was playing by Kaworu's rules. Yet, if they were Kaworu's rules, why didn't he just kill him and get it over with?

Shinji closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he was standing behind Kaworu. The other Shinji looked at him and he nearly lost it, almost forgot what he was doing. Splitting his concentration was hard, but he willed his other self to grab Kaworu by the shoulder, and drag him back. Kaworu blinked in surpise and another Kaworu stepped out of the air. Together, they pulled the second Shinji back, and punched him in the stomach. Shinji doubled over in pain, both of him, but he forced himself to focus.

Then, there were four Shinjis. The Kaworus looked at him, and said, in unison, "Any number you can think of, I can double." And then there were eight.

Shinji closed his eyes. He couldn't remember where he really was in the room anymore, seeing himself from sixteen different directions. Kaworu clenched his fists in fury, and doubled himself again. The room was a sea of Kaworus, all identical, all staring him down, pulling at him. He shrugged them off, and doubled himself again, grappling with them.

He focused on the chains. He pulled at them, and they came free, shattering like glass, like the false Yui on the beach did. He hurried, just in time for all the Kaworus to scream at once, raising their voices in a shrill scream of agony as he jumped onto the bed, grabbed Kyoko's chains, and with all his might, parted them.

"Maybe," said Shinji, "but I bet you can't split your attention in all those directions and hold her back, too."

Kaworu charged him, and he was one Shinji again. The army of Kaworus pushed him to the floor, scratching at his throat, clawing at his eyes, snarling like animals. They dragged him away from the bed, until Kyoko stood up. She gleamed like a golden goddess in white robes that flapped in an invisible wind, her long locks of strawberry curls trailing out behind her. She stepped down the dais from the bed, grabbed the nearest Kaworu, and with one hand, neatly twisted his neck around one hundred and eighty degrees.

* * *

><p>Misato looked down at Ritsuko and sighed to herself, touching her friend's shoulder. They'd bandaged her hand, and changed her into a gown. She was asleep, sedated. Misato took her sheet and dabbed the tears away from the corners of her eyes. Her cheeks were still red and raw, but she was breathing easily. She looked almost peaceful. Kaji tugged at her arm.<p>

"We need to go."

"What were you even doing down there?" she said, rounding on him as they walked out of the room.

"I followed you. I had my suspicions. She was acting off ever since Matsushiro. I was afraid she might hurt herself, so I kept track of her."

Misato nodded. "You know how to get back down there? I have a feeling there's some stuff we haven't seen yet."

Kaji nodded, then looked over her shoulder. "It'll have to wait."

"Captain Katsuragi."

Nakashima, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, walked up to her. The woman looked tired. Kaji stiffened.

"What are you planning to do about that… _thing_ outside?"

Misato swallowed. "We're working on a solution."

"That simply isn't good enough, Captain. I need to know if that gate or whatever it may be is going to expand. There are worried people who think that Third Impact is imminent."

Misato shivered at the words. "As I said, we're working on a solution, and I-"

"As _I _said, that isn't good enough. I want answers, and I want them now. You may be nominally in charge here, but as of now, you report directly to me. You have about twelve hours to come up with an answer, or I'm going to employ the one give me by my advisors."

"Which is?"

"Dump the entire Japanese stockpile of non-nuclear mines into the gate and hope the explosion closes it."

"You can't do that!" Misato shouted, grabbing her by the collar. "My pilots are in there! _Superman is in there!" _

"You're not giving me any other options," said Nakashima. "I've cleared it already. The operation will commence in twelve hours. I'd suggest you evacuate your people."

"I'm begging you," said Misato. "The head of the Evangelion project told me the gateway is stable, it's not going to-"

"You mean the one you have sedated, on suicide watch? I've made up my mind. I'm sorry, but I have to take the safety of the world into account."

With that, she turned, and stalked away, brushing past a nurse carrying a tray of medicines. Misato clamped her hands over her face and growled into her palms. Kaji put his arm around her and squeezed her.

"He can do this," said Kaji, "He'll bring her out, I know he will."

Another nurse ran up to them. "Captain Katsuragi?"

"Yes?"

"Rei Ayanami is demanding to see you."

* * *

><p>Kaworu poised over her with the needle. He froze, his face going blank beneath his surgeon's mask. The needle sparkled in the harsh lights of the operating theater. He turned his head away, distracted by something. The bond around her left wrist slipped, as though someone holding it let go, and her arm was free. She grabbed something off the tray, a kidney-shaped dish, and brought it up into his face. He snorted in angry and jumped back, clutching at his chin. His surgeon's mask was stained red.<p>

"Damn you," he snorted, his voice thick from a broken nose.

Asuka flailed against the bonds. Images, memories flooded into her head. As she remembered, she grew stronger, and she pulled her other hand free. When Kaworu came at her, she caught his wrists, spread his arms, and head butted him. He fell backwards, away from the table, and it gave her time to pull up the straps around her legs. She slid onto the floor, cold beneath her bare feet.

"Okay, _asshole_," she snapped, "Playtime's over."

She looked at the shirt dangling from her hand. She spread it, she lifted it, and she pulled it down over her head. She brushed her hair free, and when she opened her eyes, the red S was stretched over her chest. A red skirt hung down to her knees and she wore red boots, and a red cape trailed behind her. Kaworu yanked off his mask and stumbled backwards, wide-eyed. Her arm shot out, and she grabbed him by the throat, picked him up, and punched him as hard as she could, right in his stupid pale doll's face.

The whole world thrummed with the impact. The walls bent out, and then back in again, and Kaworu sailed through the air, tumbling head over heels into the far wall. He crashed through it, rolling in a pile of stones and wires and drywall and mortar, and moaned as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, shaking his head.

Asuka ran up to him and kicked him in his side, punted him like a football. He flew up, cratered the ceiling, and slammed back down, clutching his side as he rolled over. He stood up, slowly, panting.

"I wanted this to be easy on you," he said, his words doubling on themselves, distorted, like an animal growl. "I wanted you to embrace me willingly, to take me into yourself, but it's too late now. Your life is pointless. Your suffering is meaningless. You are nothing, a cosmic mistake."

"Bullshit!" Asuka screamed, lacing her fingers around his throat.

"Here," he croaked, "Let me show you."

Before she could stop him, he slapped his fingers to her head, and she felt them sink into her skull. Everything hit her at once, and her entire body jerked, as from an electric shock. She released him and her arms flew to her sides. Everything. The stink of the hospital, the smell of death that hovered around her mother as she dangled from the ceiling fan, an extension cord looped around her throat, the broken shape of Hikari lying on the gurney as they wheeled her into surgery, pale and pitiful and dying, Shinji lying broken and bruised on the living room floor, Kaji pushing her back from the door of his berth in her stupid dress and stolen perfume, and above all her mother screaming, ranting into the doll that she had to die, she had to die with her, tearing its head loose.

_She would have killed you._

"No," Asuka croaked. "Stop it."

_It will end when you submit._

_ "_Never."

_Then it will never end. This will be your life, for eternity. All of your pain. All of it, in every moment, forever._

She ground her teeth, even though she couldn't feel them anymore, and pressed her eyes closed, but he was in her head, twisting all of her memories against her.

_You're alone. No one wants you. No one needs you. You're just a part of a broken machine._

"No," she croaked.

She closed her eyes and she focused her mind. Hikari was hurt, but that wasn't all there was. Asuka saw in her mind's eye their chatting and their shopping and the way Hikari was so demure, so innocent, always so happy for other people, always willing to give. Her laughter rang in Asuka's mind. Yes, Kaji pushed her out the door, but it was for her own good, not to hurt her, and it was Shinji who found her and carried her back to her bed and could have used her but didn't, and when Shinji was hurt he woke up the next day and they whispered secrets to each other in the morning sunlight.

_**Give in.**_

"No!" Asuka shouted, batting at him. "Never! Never! _Never!"_

Kaworu's face twisted into a mask of hate. His eyes turned from red to bright green, and his teeth filed themselves to sharp fangs. He pressed her to the wall and sank his fingers into her skull to the knuckles, and the intensity inceased.

"I don't care anymore," he snarled, "I don't care if your brains are jelly."

There was a light, a golden light.

"Mama," she whispered.

Kaworu turned, horrified, as a golden queen, standing tall over him, grabbed him by throat with fingers of alabaster and dragged him away. Asuka pitched forward as the torrent of memories faded, and she fell into strong, warm, familiar arms. She breathed in his smell, pressed her face into his neck and kissed him, warm and safe and _needed._

"Is it really you?"

"It's me," said Shinji.

Mama held Kaworu up like a bug.

She pushed him into the air, and he simply vanished, fell through a crack in the air. Everything shifted and changed, the floor undulating under her feet. She pushed into Shinji, afraid it was all another trick a way to break her down, until she realized where she was. They were in a summer field, beneath a tree. The air smelled of flowers and grass and all things that were new, and there was so much sunlight it hurt her eyes.

Mama gently peeled her away from Shinji and pulled her into her arms, pressing Asuka's head into her shoulder, twining her fingers through her hair.

"You're so big," she murmured. "I missed you so much. I could always see you but never touch you."

"Mama," was all Asuka could say.

"I love you," she said, over and over. "I love you, my darling, my precious girl. I'm so sorry."

"Kyoko."

Asuka turned. Yui stood under the tree, her hand on Shinji's shoulder.

"What?"

"We have to let them go. The theoretical space is becoming unstable."

"But…" said Kyoko.

"No!" Asuka shouted.

Kyoko closed her eyes. "She's right. I can't keep you."

She cupped Asuka's face in her elegant fingers, and smiled. "You have to go now, darling child. Be happy."

"But-"

She was falling through the air. Shinji caught her, pulled her to himself, and twisted his body underneath hers. The impact rattled her teeth as he slammed into the earth of the Geofront and skimmed over it, coming to a gradual stop, breathing hard. His costume was a mess, and he had a black eye. Asuka sat up and looked over her shoulder. The Eva slumped against each other, sinking to their knees. Unit Two's back armor had unfolded, and there was no plug in place. Asuka's stomach clenched. Then, she saw him.

Shinji saw too, and lifted her up as he rose to his feet, pulling her behind him. Kaworu stalked across the charred earth in his plugsuit. Blood dribbled from one corner of his mouth, and one of his eyes was bloody. His fists clenched and unclenched.

"I," said Kaworu, "am going to do more than kill you. I am going to end you. I will break every bone in your body and leave you in the sun so I can do it again the next day. I will murder every one of these mewling lilim," he glared at Asuka, "starting with her. Every one of them will die. Your beloved insects will die screaming, and when you and I are the last living things on this worthless mud ball, I will listen to you beg me for death until it pleases me to end your life."

Shinji stepped forward. "Let's go."

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<em>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

_Chapter Sixteen: The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in the Sun_


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>There was nothing Asuka could do but run. When she saw them move towards each other, Shinji and Kaworu, saw them advance on one another, pure survival instinct took hold of her legs and turned her away from it. She spared a glance over her shoulder in time to see the first impact, before the shock of it rolled her off her feet. She could<em> feel<em> it in the ground as she rolled across her hands and knees, onto her back, and up onto her feet again before breaking into a wild-armed sprint.

She skidded to a stop, her plugsuit booties sliding in the mud, as Kaworu appeared before her, just materialized out of the air and wagged his finger in mocking disapproval. She flailed backwards and landed in the wet earth with a splash as he reached for her. Shinji checked him hard from the side, grabbed his arm, and spun him around, pounding his pale face with a savage right cross.

"Asuka, _run!" _

He didn't have to tell her twice. She scrambled back to her feet, digging tracks in the mud with her fingers, and bolted, stepping lightly, her lungs burning from the effort. She'd never run so fast in her life, so fast it felt like she wasn't touching the ground. She saw a rock, vaulted over it, and kept running. She was just in time. Shinji and Kaworu, grappling with each other, came down behind her like an artillery shell. The blast threw up a ring of mud and rocks and splintered wood, and almost knocked her off her feet.

She whipped her head around, looking for some kind of refuge. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Shinji ripping the trunk of a scorched tree out by the roots. He turned it around in his hands and swung it like a club, only for it to splinter into a thousand pieces as Kaworu battered it away and charged him, striking him so hard in the belly that she could feel it as a jolt that ran up her knees. Shinji caught his hand with both of his own and spun Kaworu around, lifting him bodily through the air and slammed him into the ground.

She could see headquarters in the distance. She just had to keep moving. She pushed herself harder and harder with every step, jumping over rocks and downed logs. The doors to the infirmary stood open, a square of harsh white light in the gloom, and she headed for them. Her feet slipped when she hit asphalt but she kept her balance, cartwheeling her arms, until she ran through the doors. The two security guards stared at her in confusion until she skidded to a stop, leaving twin streaks of mud in her wake, and bounced off the wall, grunting.

"Run! _Run!"_

They didn't listen. Kaworu appeared from above, his arms stretched wide, pale orange light flickering and crackling around his body, making his hair stand on end. He lighted on the road in front of them and raised his hands, the power field that wreathed him turning scarlet. As he unleashed a blast of energy, Shinji dropped on him from above, twisting his arms so the beam went wide and carved a rent in the ceiling, bring down a pile of flaming tiles and shattered fluorescent lights.

They wrestled, and Kaworu picked Shinji up and slammed him through the wall. Shinji held on and pulled him along, and they both rolled into a clattering collection of tall metal gas cannisters, bound to the wall with heavy straps.

Asuka grabbed the guards by the collars and yanked on them. "Move!"

She ran further inside, until she hit the first nurse's station. "Get on the PA system, we need to evacuate the upper levels, they-"

She felt it, before she heard it. She ducked down as flames streaked through the hallway, licking along the ceiling, and squinted to see the forms of the two combatants silhouetted within. Shinji and Kaworu were grappling, holding each other by the shoulders, twisting around and around. Asuka grabbed at a fire extinguisher on the wall, but one of the nurses hit the alarm.

"Let the sprinklers handle it!" she shouted, tugging on Asuka's arm.

She looked back. She couldn't see them anymore.

* * *

><p>Misato leaned on the doorframe and stood there for a while, watching. Rei was in the dark, in an intensive care room all by herself, in a deep darkness lit only by the machines strapped to her body. There was a monitor for her heart rate and for her temperature and for her blood pressure and the oxygen in her blood, but the most curious one was the monitor for her brain activity. It was going mad. In the cool darkness, a crimson eye opened, and Misato suddenly felt very small.<p>

"Rei?" she said, weakly.

"I need you," Rei rasped.

Misato edged into the room, stepping over a thick bundle of cables. She looked around, and realized there was no intravenous line. She hugged herself.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, dumbly.

"I sense injuries," Rei rasped, "the data could be called pain."

"What do you need? I'll get it for you. Are you thirsty, or-"

Rei's head tilted slightly, and with her one unbandaged eye, she held Misato with a sort of affectionate contempt. "I cannot move under my own power. Get a wheelchair."

"Rei," said Misato, "I can't do that, you've been very badly hurt, and-"

"I am going to die," said Rei. "I am not going to die in a bed while Shinji needs me. Get a wheelchair."

"Shinji?" said Misato, "but-"

Maya ran into the door, skidding on the heels of her shoes. "Captain!"

Misato and Rei both focused on her. Maya paled when she saw Rei's gaze settle on her. It took Misato poking her shoulder to get her to start talking. She shook her head, blinking tears out of her eyes.

"The theoretical space collapsed!"

"What?" said Misato. "It's gone? Where are the pilots? Did they make it out?"

Maya nodded, "We saw Superman catch Asuka on the monitors, but she ran away, they- they're fighting!"

"Who?" said Misato.

"Superman and Kaworu! They're tearing the-"

There was a rippling boom. Misato fell against the wall, and had to catch Maya to keep her from going down. The whole structure groaned, and a piece of tile fell loose and slammed into the floor near Rei's bed, shattering as it hit. The monitors all blinked and alarms started flashing.

Maya shuddered, "They're tearing the Geofront apart. We have to do something, or they're going to collapse the whole city on our heads!"

Misato started to move.

"Captain," Rei rasped, "Please."

Misato hesitated at the door. "Get a wheelchair."

"But Captain, she-"

"Don't argue with me."

Maya hurried down the corridor and ran back, pushing a collapsible wheelchair before her. She pushed it into the room, ramping it over the bundle of cables, and Misato hurried to Rei's side. She started undoing the cables running to her chest and arm, ignoring the squeal of the monitors. Maya took her legs as they lifted her out and propped her in the seat of the chair, against a pillow. She leaned, so Misato grabbed another pillow to hold her up, and then threw a blanket over her.

"This is crazy," said Maya.

"It might be our only chance. She knows what she's doing."

"I must go to them," Rei croaked, "Hurry."

"Them?" said Maya. "Who's them?"

"The others," said Rei, "in the tank."

"I don't understand," Maya whimpered.

"I've got this," said Misato, "I'll handle it. Get Kaji and start coordinating some kind of a defense, we have to-"

Another boom sent streamers of dust pouring down from the ceiling, and Misato felt it rise up through her feet. She pushed out into the hall. Kaji was already there, looking aghast at Rei. He stopped Misato with a hand on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"She says she has to go to the others," said Misato. "In the tank."

Kaji looked at her grimly. "I'll do it, you stay here. We may need to evacuate."

Misato nodded, and let him take the wheelchair away, half-sprinting down the hallway, leaning so that his chest propped up Rei's head, lolling to the side. She didn't think it was possible, but the girl was more pale than ever. The light was going out of her.

"What do we do?" said Maya.

"There must be some way we can help," said Misato. "I have to think. Do you have your portable unit?"

"Of course, it's-"

"Get it, and meet me on the surface. Bring your phone."

May nodded and scurried off to grab her portable terminal. Misato unlimbered her gun, for all that would do, and headed for the elevator. A nurse stopped her; there was a fire on the upper floor, and she couldn't go that way, so she sprinted for the service elevator and rode up to the loading dock. The elevator lights flickered and the whole car seemed to sway under her feet as she rode it up, almost pushing the doors open when it arrived.

She headed outside, and was almost bowled over onto her feet. Kaworu and Shinji, moving so fast she couldn't tell which was which, were locked in some sort of aerial duel, darting around each other in figure eight patterns, occasionally trading blows that sent the other off course and rocked the Geofront like rolling thunder. Maya joined her a moment later, staring slack-jawed at the spectacle. As she did, one of them, she thought it was Shinji, hit the underside of the city, skimmed along the roof of the cavern in a great plume of dust, and hit one of the sunken skyscrapers.

Misato grabbed Maya and dragged her to the ground. The entire structure, a hanging high-rise full of offices and apartment blocks, rumbled from side to side, like a bad tooth in an immense jaw. It yawed lazily to one side, and there was a great chorus of grinding and snapping sounds as it pitched, hard, hanging by threads of cable and strained concrete, and in slow, graceless motion, began to fall. When it hit the ground the world rolled as it collapsed in a fountain of dust and powdered masonry, rolling out over the floor of the cavern like fog.

"He's going to die if we don't do something!" Misato shouted over the roar.

"What can we do?" Maya shouted back, clutching herself. "I wish Ritsuko was here, she'd know what to do!"

Misato shook her head. Of course she'd know what to do. She knew what Shinji needed when he was hurt before, when she moved him off of the couch in the living room, what was it she said? He didn't need food or sleep, he needed _sunlight . _Misato stared up at the mirror array, still clinging to the underside of the city, glittering as it tilted to create a false sunrise. Shinji and Asuka must have been trapped in the singularity all night.

"Maya!" said Misato, "Can you control the mirrors from here?"

* * *

><p>Shinji tumbled through the air, out of control. He hit the ground shoulder-first, bounced, tumbled head over heels, and slid to a stop in the mud, groaning. He felt every blow Kaworu had laid on him, and it took him a moment to struggle to his feet. The boy landed lightly, just out of his reach, arms at his sides as though completing a gymnastic dismount. He walked across the Geofront with purpose, tapping his chest with his fingers. In the center of his body was a smoldering sphere of red light, glowing through his pale skin and even the material of his plugsuit.<p>

"Of course," he said, "You have an upper limit, but I don't. Anything you can do, I can do better."

Shinji crouched, wiped blood and spittle from his lip, and charged. He threw a wild punch and Kaworu countered, diverting his blow and laying a punishing strike of his own, a knifing blow of the side of his hand to Shinji's flank. Shinji grunted in pain and stumbled past him, and crashed into the mud again.

"It's curious," said Kaworu. "You rely on your strength, but you make no effort to understand it. With only a little training, you'd be unstoppable. My butler fights better than you."

Bellowing incoherently, Shinji got up and charged, trying to tackle him. Kaworu dodged easily, kicking him hard in the chin as he passed. Shinji flipped over onto his back and skidded along in the mud, and started to move until Kaworu put his foot on his chest. Shinji struggled against it, but though he pushed as hard as he could, he simply wouldn't rise. Kaworu leaned over him, smiling to himself. He bent down, and tore the last remnants of the emblem from Shinji's chest, letting the wind carry them away.

"You put up a good fight, but it's pointless. I am the beginning, and I am the end. I was ancient when the world was new. I-"

Kaworu froze. He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes went wide. The mirror array, the great glittering sea of glass suspended high above the cavern floor, groaned and muttered in defiance, some of the glass panes remaining fixed in place. Enough of them, though, enough of them turned, gradually at first, an then faster, until a focused beam of light and heat swept across the cavern floor. A pool of brilliant yellow sunlight crowned Kaworu's head, turning his hair to a golden glow.

"Talk too much," Shinji grunted.

Shinji's arms shot up and he clamped down on Kaworu's knees with all his might. He rolled, slammed him into the ground, rolled again, standing as he did, and holding him by the legs, flipped him over and over his head, crashing him into the mud. Kaworu wriggled free of his grip, but not fast enough. Shinji turned and hit him hard in the small of the back, sending him spinning over the ground, though a tree, and into a boulder that crashed to powder from the impact.

Kaworu stood up, brushing himself off. He looked none the worse for wear. He sighed softly, and greeted Shinji with a cat-like smile.

"You think you can physically harm me. How quaint."

He brought his hands together, and pale orange energy wreathed around them, flickering with tiny orange octagons. A concussive beam of pure force shot out, pressing the air out of its way, and caught Shinji in the chest. He folded his arms in front of himself, as if leaning into a stiff wind, and pressed forward. Kaworu's expression shifted slightly, from amusement to concentration, and the beam intensified. Many sided shapes of light, built from strange angles, folded in and out of being around him. Shinji closed his eyes and leaned into it, spreading his fingers until he touched Kaworu's neck and clamped down.

"Hey," Shinji rapsed. "Can you breathe in space?"

"What?" Kaworu croaked.

Shinji flew. He pulled Kaworu along with him, dragging him skyward by the neck. As he rose he turned to face the blazing pool of sun pouring down on him until he was cast into darkness by the edges of the crater in the cavern roof there the last angel had blasted away the armor plating. He rose up through it, ignoring Kaworu's flailing, until he found the surface and the pure, warm air that waited outside. He opened his eyes and soaked in the rising sun, and all about him was devastation. The angel had leveled much of the city, flattening it in a wide circle around the impact point.

The air closed in around him, rushing in his ears, and yet he pressed, higher and higher, faster and faster, until he soared through the clouds and took a streamer of vapor with him. Kaworu grabbed pointlessly at his arms. One by one, the stars were coming out, and a sonic boom tried to tear Kaworu out of his grasp. He sucked in a breath as the air thinned more and more, the pressure from the encroaching vacuum building up on his eyeballs. He felt the sun blazing on his back as the atmosphere fell behind him, and he drew Kaworu up through the edge of the air itself.

* * *

><p>Kaji held Rei's head in his hands, cradling it to support her neck. She was cold, and she was barely breathing. He couldn't find a pulse as he probed at her neck. His hand began to drift to the control panel, to stop the elevator and take her back to the infirmary. Her good hand batted feebly against his arm, and he froze.<p>

"No," she croaked, "Keep going."

Sighing, he did as she asked, waiting for the elevator doors to open. He had an inkling of what she meant to do, and was half tempted to take her back on general principles. She was tough, she might make it, even with the burns. Finally, the doors opened, and he carefully wheeled her out, wincing as she made small sounds of discomfort from the chair bouncing over the gap between the floor and the elevator. She closed her eyes, or her eye, anyway,

He wheeled her through the labs until he had to enter Ritsuko's code to open up the clone facility. He wheeled her through, and he could have sworn the bodies floating in the tank twitched. She motioned for him to move her closer to the central chamber, and when she was near it, pushed the blankets off her body and started to stand up.

"Rei," he said, very softly. "You can't do this."

"I have no choice. You will assist me or get out of my way."

Gingerly, wincing at the red spots forming on her bandages, he helped her stand and half-held her up as she limped to the tube. She hit the controls herself, and the tube slid open. She couldn't make it up the steps, so he scooped her up and carried her up himself, setting her feet down in the tube. Her legs twitched and trembled from the exertion of standing up, and she slumped against the glass. She started picking at her gown, her fingers fumbling over the ties.

"I must remove it for proper transmission."

Kaji tensed, then relented, working the ties himself. He had to partly peel the gown away. She was bleeding from under her bandages, and it stuck to her body at her shoulder and the wounds on her legs. She was standing there, cold and shaking and naked, and he stepped down.

"What now?"

"Press the button on that panel," she pointed. "The system will do the rest."

He moved to the panel, and his finger hovered over the button. He sighed, closed his eyes, and pushed it down. With a hiss, the glass tubes slid together, and there was a hollow rumbling sound as it flooded with LCL. Rei became buoyant, her hair floating in thick strands around her closed eye, and he felt a bit of relief. At least as she floated, it would relieve some of the pain of standing herself up. He took a step back, and watched.

The computer systems lit up, and progress bars appeared, and he knew at once he was out of his depth, watching the process unfold. Rei's back arched and her mouth fell open in a sort of ecstatic relief, and then her body went visibly limp in the fluid. It drained out all at once, and she slumped against the inside of the tube. He ran up to it as the glass slid apart, and caught her limp form tumbling out, cradling her against his chest. Her face was fixed in a mask, and no breath escape her lips, only a dribble of orange fluid, tinged with blood. He sat down on the steps and rocked her, pointlessly.

They did this to children.

His head lifted as he heard the tube moving. The glass slid together, and with the same hollow sound, filled with a rush of the orange suspension. The tank vibrated, thrumming with power, and through some hidden means, one of the clone bodies slid upwards, vanishing into the machinery overhead. He felt a deep sickness forming in his stomach like a slippery ball that wanted to crawl up through his throat. He held Rei's dead form and remembered Ritusko's words.

It was just a copy. Rei was gone.

He stood up, holding the girl's dead body, watching the same person settle into a gentle float in the tube in front of him. He carried her back to the wheelchair and curled her in the seat, pulling the blanket over her in a futile gesture, out of some kind of decency. He picked up the hospital gown, it was the only thing he'd have to cover the new one with. He cursed himself for even thinking that, clenching his fists as he realized he was already thinking of her as some kind of machine.

The tube slid apart, and the new Rei stood in the old one's place, goose pimples forming on her skin from the cold. He rushed up to cover her, sweeping the gown around her body even as she looked away. She sensed his intent and did the laces herself, until it clung to her, as she was still slick with LCL. She stepped down onto the floor, and looked at her old self, touching the other body's hair with a sort of detached fascination.

"She lied," said Rei, "about how much it hurt. I must free the others," she said, moving to the control panel.

"Rei?" said Kaji. "What others?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. A shiver ran down his back as he realized that the bodies in the tank had stopped drifting, and they were all standing motionless, hanging in the slippery fluid like swimmers at rest in a shallow pool, watching him with active, intelligent eyes.

"The other Rei."

"I don't understand. How can there be more than one of you?"

"There is only one. We are Rei."

She started typing, and another clone body moved through the tank, shifted through the apparatus in the ceiling, and dropped into the holding tank. The new one moved more quickly than the second, and they stared at each other, one in the hospital gown and one stark naked, having some sort of silent conference with each other as the third moved down from the open tube.

When the fourth emerged, she walked to the limp form on the chair, and began stripping off her bandages.

"What are you doing?" said Kaji, constantly reminding himself not to stare. Rei had no modesty. None of them did.

"Preparing her," said Rei.

"For what?"

"She is a machine, like us," said Rei. "Like any machine, she can be broken. But machines can also be fixed."

The Rei in the hospital gown approached him. "We have the situation under control. You will come with me. We must save Shinji."

Kaji swallowed. "You know what's happening?"

"We know what she knows," she looked at the crippled Rei in the chair, "and so much more."

* * *

><p>Shinji dove. He yanked Kaworu close to him, so he couldn't escape, twisted, and powered down into the atmosphere. The air folded around them, pressed in close, and then boomed away as he broke the sound barrier, easy in the thin upper atmosphere. He pushed harder, until it was screaming in his ears, and in his wake it began to glow, like a firebug's tail, spreading around him. Kaworu was screaming wordlessly in fury or pain or both, feebly trying to struggle free. Shinji hit the cloud cover and it parted before him, the world pitching and yawing wildly underneath.<p>

He aimed away from the city, for the hills, to keep Kaworu away from the Geofront. He saw the school for a brief second, and the trail where the soil had collapsed in the wake of the tunneling angel that had destroyed the building. He closed his eyes as the hillside rushed up to meet him. The impact jarred through his body, rattling his teeth, as he started to turn from the force, his body crashing through the hill itself, dragging Kaworu with him. The entire hillside lifted up in a dome shape and slid downwards, covering the road in a thick layer of flowing mud.

Kaworu rolled away, lying on his back, panting. Shinji got up, holding his fists at his side, moving towards him slowly, deliberately. Kaworu sat up, then stood, stumbling from side to side, the core in his chest burning with its own fire. He rubbed at his forehead and sneezed, and mucous and blood and mud fanned out over his arms. When he turned back to Shinji, his eyes smoldered with an inner red glow.

"That," he rasped, "Hurt."

Scarlet energy scythed around his body, and tracers of red, glowing in his veins, burned under his skin as he moved. He no longer grinned or joked, but moved with grim purpose, and Shinji did the same. They struggled, each trying to force the other down. Shinji managed to turn him and press him into the ground, but he wriggled free, kicked back into Shinji's face, and took off for the Geofront, lifting himself under his own power. Shinji followed after him, barely catching up, and as a pair they rocketed down into the cavern once again. Kaworu landed with a crash, throwing up a cloud of debris as he crouched. Shinji lighted beside him, and charged.

Kaworu backhanded him, and knocked him back. His eyes glittered as brightly as the sphere in his chest, and the skin around his eyes was beginning to char and split. His plugsuit was deforming as his back hunched, and with each step he seemed to grow heavier. His voice was deeper, more resonant.

"Here," he growled, "Here's another one of your little tricks."

Something blasted from his eyes and caught Shinji full on, instantly setting the ground around him to blaze, flash boiling the water out of the ground itself, charring the remaining grass to ash. Shinji shielded himself but it forced him off his feet and he slid across the ground, now hard packed and cracked, like high desert in the sun. Kaworu stalked forward, grabbed Shinji by the throat, and hauled him up.

"No matter how hard you fight, it's pointless. Go to your grave knowing that you've failed, and the redhead dies first."

The skin around his eyes puckered further as they bulged from his head, the glow becoming a blinding light. Shinji closed his eyes and brought his hands up, slapping them over Kaworu's face. The energy blast boiled against his hands, spread out from the gaps between his fingers like rays of sunlight, and there was a deep thrumming sound before the explosion that threw them both apart, rolling Shinji across the Geofront floor.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, panting, holding his side. Kaworu arose slowly on his own. His head was a charred ruin, all the silvery hair burned off, one of his eyes swollen shut, the other bloodshot and watery. He reached towards Shinji feebly, his pale fingers sliding over Shinji's collarbone and cording, loosely, around his neck. He could barely stand up.

Shinji returned the gesture all the same. He felt Kaworu's blood beating beneath his fingertips, felt his rasping breaths suck in and out, felt the life he held in his hands. He trembled.

Kaworu smiled. Half his teeth were missing.

"You," he choked, "can't," he coughed, "do it."

Shinji trembled.

"I'll regenerate," he croaked. "When I do you won't stop me. Or you won't the next time, or the time after that. I can do this forever."

Shinji willed himself to close his fingers, to crush the life out of the hateful thing, but his hands only shook.

Kaworu pushed him back. He wiped his chin with his hand, and the cut on his lip was gone. He closed his mouth, did something with his tongue, rolling it around the inside of his mouth, and when he opened it, all his teeth were back. He pressed his eyes shut and opened the both, just as easily. But for his hair, he was normal again within moments.

"Weak," he snickered.

"Excuse me," Rei said from behind him, "I must borrow this."

"What?" Kaworu snapped, spinning.

Rei moved with lightning speed, and her arm sank in Kaworu's chest to her elbow. She stared him in the eye as he jerked and spasmed, flailing against her. Shinji grabbed his wrists, and stared in disbelief as Rei yanked her arm free, drawing the red shining core, a perfect sphere of polished red, free of his chest. She held it in her hands, and then with a soft, almost imperceptible smile, pressed it into her own chest. It burned a hole in the hospital gown she wore and sank into her body, her pale flesh spreading to envelope it before it vanished, leaving her unmarked but for the hole in her garment.

Kaworu turned around, lurching oddly. His lip drooped, and he made a pained sound. He took a swing at Shinji, but missed, and sank to his knees. He made a sort of agonized gurgle, and managed a single word.

"Father," he said.

He fell, and when he fell, his body simple ceased to be, melting into a splash of orange liquid that seeped out of his plugsuit and into the ground. The suit held a shape for a moment, moving somehow of its own accord, before it went limp and lay flat against the earth, gradually losing its shape, almost like a balloon leaking air.

Shinji rounded on Rei.

"You're alive!"

She stopped him with a hand on his chest. "You are injured. You will report to the infirmary."

"Rei, I-"

Rei tilted her head to the side, and a strange expression flickered over her face, somehow disappointment and sadness and confusion all at once. "I am sorry," she whispered. "I am not that one."

"I don't understand," said Shinji, his voice tight.

"I am the next clone. I am sorry."

She looked down. Shinji limped forward, put one hand on her shoulder, and turned her face up by the chin to meet his gaze. Tears fuzzed his vision.

"You're still my sister."

She moved to his side and slid herself under his arm to support him as he walked. He limped along beside her, and felt the sun, stronger now than before, on his face and on his skin. He was finally able to stand on his own, and walk. It was just in time, as Asuka came tearing along and crashed into him, almost bowling him off his feet in her embrace. Misato and Kaji struggled to catch up.

"Ow," he grunted, sliding Asuka back down onto her feet. "When did you get so strong?"

* * *

><p>Ritsuko blinked her eyes open, and immediately regretted it. She was in darkness, but her eyes stung anyway, and she felt the groggy haze of drugs tugging at her eyelids. She knew right away she'd slept for many hours, but wasn't any less fatigued. She was half sitting up, lying in a hospital bed, the painful tug of an intravenous line in her arm. When she tried to move, her wrists were held down by thick nylon straps secured to the sides of the bed. She sat up a little, then fell back into her pillow, monstrously tired but too long under sedation to actually fall asleep.<p>

A shadow fell on her, and she opened her eyes again. Maya looked like five miles of bad road, with dark circles under her eyes, her hair plaited to her head from sweat and a day or two without washing. Her labcoat was rumpled and her uniform hung open, unbuttoned, and wrinkled.

"You look great," Ritsuko rasped.

Maya brushed Ritsuko's hair out of her eyes. "So do you."

Ritsuko turned away, but Maya simply walked around to the other side of the bed.

"No fair," she croaked.

"Thirsty?"

Ritsuko nodded. Maya stuck a straw in a plastic cup of ice water. It was a blessed relief, and she drank until she had to let the straw go in order to breathe. She gasped and just let herself feel cool for a moment, before she down the rest of it, making little slurping sounds at the straw.

She touched her lips with her tongue. They felt like cracked stone. That is, until Maya leaned over and kissed her, gently brushing her lips against Ritsuko's own. They felt better then, even as Maya pulled back, slipping her fingers into Ritsuko's hand.

"Untie me," Ritsuko mumbled.

"I'm not allowed," Maya said sadly, looking at the floor. "They're afraid you'll hurt yourself."

"I should," she said defiantly, staring at the ceiling. "I kill children."

"But they're alive," said Maya. "Asuka is alive, and Hikari is alive, and Shinji is with them now."

"And Rei?"

"Rei, is, um, complicated."

Ritsuko blinked. "What?"

"I'll let you see for yourself, when they check you out. I need you to come out of this. I can't do this on my own."

"Tell me what happened."

Ritsuko groaned as she listened to Maya go over the morning's events, the sudden reemergence of the Evas from the sphere of nothingness, and the battle with Kaworu. Ritsuko wanted desperately to just pinch the bridge of her nose, but she didn't want to struggle and disturb Maya. When it was over, she drew in a deep breath.

"So," said Ritsuko. "Unit One and Unit Two are still sitting out there. Unit One now has a functional super solenoid. Rei, somehow, ate part of Kaworu and is walking around with it lodged in her chest."

"Not walking around," said Maya. "We put her in a hospital room. She didn't argue."

"She wouldn't."

"Did you say Asuka appeared outside the Eva? Did she eject the plug?"

Maya shook her head. "No, it's still in place, why-"

Ritsuko groaned. "Did you ever get any readings out of it?"

"Some," said Maya, "but it was garbled. I have my portable, if you want to see it."

Ritsuko nodded, and Maya moved the bed, so that she was sitting up more, and set the computer up on her lap. She could just barely reach the keyboard, and started sifting through the data recovered from Unit One.

"Has it done anything strange?"

"No," said Maya. "We're moving it into the cage now."

"Order it sealed in Bakelite," she said, absently. "Just to be sure."

Maya nodded, tapping her phone.

Ritsuko froze. There must have been an error. The synchronization rate, for a few minutes before the signal was lost entirely, read at four hundred percent. She leaned forward to peer at the screen, wishing for her glasses. Maya pulled them from her pocket without being asked, unfolded them, and slipped them on her face, her fingers lingering just slightly, to touch her cheeks.

"Thank you," she murmured. "Did you say that Asuka appeared outside the Eva, but the plug was in place?"

Maya nodded.

"Go get an oral swab, I need to test her DNA, make sure there's no contamination. She discorporated."

"What?"

Ritsuko nodded at the screen. "She discorporated. The Eva absorbed her, and then her ego barrier was restored and she re-materialized."

"What?" Maya said again.

Ritsuko sighed, then pitched forward, hard. Her glasses tumbled into her lap, and she snatched them up with her hand. Quickly, she used the earpiece to undo the strap, then when he hand was free, undid the other, slid the computer off her lap, and gingerly stood up, a wave of fatigue washing over her.

Maya stared at her, blankly.

"I may as well come with you."

She tugged at the IV lines, then disconnected them from her arm, and slid the needles out.

"Um," said Maya, "Your, ah, your gown."

Ritsuko realized she felt a rush of cool air up her back. "Is there a robe or something?"

Maya found a closet, pulled out a thin, threadbare looking robe, and pulled it up over Ritsuko's arms. She belted it around herself and shrugged, clutching it to her body. She was cold. May was blushing furiously, and trying to focus on the ceiling.

"Yes?'

"Um," said Maya, "do you squat, or do pilates or something?"

"Yoga." said Ritsuko.

Maya's blush deepened. "Really?"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Lieutenant Ibuki, are you flirting with me?"

"Yes?" Maya said, weakly.

Ritsuko stepped into the scuff slippers by the bed, scooped up the portable unit, and slid her arm around Maya's waist, kissing her on the cheek. "How long was I out, anyway?'

"About twelve hours."

"How long have you been here?"

"About twelve hours," said Maya, smiling weakly.

Ritsuko smiled, too. "We have work to do, let's go."

* * *

><p>Asuka sat on the exam table, swinging her legs back and forth, staring into the floor. She was, she had to admit, having a difficult time processing all of this. She continually wondered if any of it was real, but when she touched the stiff paper on the table and felt the soft cushion under her and breathed in the sterile infirmary air, cold and stinking of soap, it felt real enough. Shinji stood beside her.<p>

The swelling in his eye had gone down, and he was now barely marked, the bruise being the only sign he'd been fighting at all. He leaned on the table and put his hand on hers and leaned over, and he kissed the curve of her jaw, and stopped to rest his head against hers. He stood up, tipping back a little to look down the back of her hospital gown.

"Hey," she muttered.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," he smirked.

She laughed softly to herself. "Of course. You have x-ray vision."

He looked wounded, sighing deeply.

"I'm kidding," she rolled her eyes. "Wait, did you ever… you know… look at me like that?"

He shook his head. "Of course not."

She tilted her head to the side, and looked at him. She believed him completely. If there was anyone in the world that could see through solid objects and wouldn't use it to creep on a girl, it was him.

"I'm using it now, though."

She punched him in the arm.

"Ow," he said in mock indignation, rubbing the spot where she'd hit him.

She tugged at the collar of his white shirt. Other than having it untucked, he was in uniform, as he almost always was. She touched one of the spots on his jaw where he had a fading bruise. He looked down at the floor. She knew that look.

"What is it?"

"I couldn't kill him," he murmured, shrugging. "All the things he did, and said, and I couldn't do it. I had my hands around his throat, and I just couldn't do it."

She took his hand and twined their fingers together, and leaned on his shoulder. "Of course not, stupid. Superman doesn't kill. Well, people anyway."

"No," he said, "but Rei killed him all the same. It might as well have been me."

"You had no choice."

"Are you mad?" he said, "That I feel bad about it?"

"No," she sighed. It's just you, being you."

He seemed to brighten up at that, and hopped up on the table beside her, slipping his arm around her waist. She leaned on him and just breathed, and she might have fallen asleep. When the door closed, she sat up abruptly. Ritsuko walked into the room with a stack of papers and a confused, haggard look on her face. Her glasses dangled from her mouth by the earpiece until she pulled them away and tossed them on the counter.

"When, I should say if, we get the Evas ready, we'll need to do a synchronization test."

"Great," Asuka groaned.

"You may not be able to pilot anymore."

She froze. "Why?"

Ritsuko took a deep breath. "I don't know how to explain this."

Asuka froze. "Is it… am I contaminated?"

Shinji squeezed her hand.

"No," said Ritsuko, "not exactly. Here."

She put the folder down on the table, and drew out a piece of paper. She stuck one to the overhead cabinet with a magnetic clasp. "This is your chromosome profile."

Asuka blinked. "Okay?'

"It's normal. You have 46 perfectly formed chromosomes. Or, you did. This is your new profile, from the sample we took today."

She put the paper up next to the original. There were… more. Half again as many, in fact. Asuka blinked.

"I don't understand."

"I'd show you your genome, but I can't exactly print that out. You have a triple helix, an entire secondary set of genetic material grafted onto yours. When Unit One went berserk, your body dissolved. When it reassembled itself as your ego barrier was restored, you were put back together, with a little something extra."

Asuka paled. "W-where did it come from?"

"A planet called Krypton," Ritsuko said wryly.

She recoiled in horror. "What?" She looked at Shinji. "Does that mean I'm his sister now?"

Ritsuko burst out laughing. "No, not even close. From what I can tell, you have as much relationship with him as I do with, let's say, Misato. You're the same species. The first two members of a new species, in fact."

Asuka looked at her hands. "So, does that mean that I… I can _fly?"_

"Not yet," said Ritsuko.

"It took years for that," said Shinji. "The first thing was the speed, and the strength, but I didn't know I was different until I could fly. One day I woke up and I couldn't see my own hands. I would have thought I was going crazy if…"

He looked at her.

Ritsuko coughed. "Be fruitful, and multiply."

Asuka's eyes narrowed.

"Watch it," said Ritsuko, "don't accidentally burn me with your heat vision."

"You're in a good mood," said Asuka.

"It's not often I give people good news. This is good news, isn't it?"

Asuka looked at the floor. "I guess?"

"Come with me," said Shinji, dropping from the table. He held out his hand, and she took it.

"Will you excuse us?" said Asuka.

Ritsuko took a moment to get the hint. "Oh, you mean me."

"Nothing I haven't seen before," said Shinji.

"Fruitful and multiply," Ritsuko muttered to herself as she left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

She shimmied out of her gown, and Shinji turned around, although she caught him sneaking glances at her as she poured her dress over her head and slipped back into her shoes. She held his hand as they walked out of the infirmary, and then outside.

"Wait," he said, "I want to see Hikari first."

Asuka felt a pit in her stomach, but nodded, and went along with him. The smells and sounds of the intensive care ward seemed especially vivid, and she wasn't completely sure it was her imagination. She felt awful walking into the room, like some kind of intruder. She was stable now, and her people had taken to visiting her in shifts. Kodama was there, and Toji, staring at the floor. He had something in his bag.

Asuka walked to the bed, while Shinji sat down next to Toji.

But for the bandage over her eye, Hikari might have been in a peaceful sleep, piled up with pillows and blankets, her dark hair fanned out over the white linens. She was breathing normally, and was a good color, lively looking. She looked like she might wake up at any moment. Asuka leaned over her.

"Hey," she said, "Get better soon. I…" her voice wavered a little. "I miss you."

She touched Hikari's forehead and turned. Kodama gave her a solemn look, and settled back, her eyes lidded from fatigue. Toji followed them out into the hallway. Asuka thought he meant to say something to her, but he stopped Shinji instead. He unshouldered his bag, and pulled out one of the fan club t-shirts, still in its plastic bag.

"You might need this," he said quietly, "Your other one got messed up."

Shinji looked confused. "It's at the apartment."

"Not that one," Toji said softly. "The _other_ one."

Shinji nodded and took it. Toji nodded back.

Boys.

Folding the shirt under his arm, he took her hand. Ritsuko passed them, carrying a file under her arm. Asuka stopped and watched her. She stood at the threshold to Hikari's room as though it were a physical barrier, gathered herself, and went inside. She gave Shinji a little tug and they walked out together. The sun on her face, even reflected in the broken mirrors, looked different.

When they were out of sight, she put her arms around his neck. "It's faster," she said.

He lifted up, and she felt her stomach try to remain at ground level for a bit, exhilarated by the feeling. She had a sudden, heady realization that she too might do this one day. The idea seemed so alien that it couldn't be real, somehow part of the dream. Shinji took them both up through the gaping hole in the Geofront roof, and when she saw what had happened, her breath caught.

"Pen Pen!" said Asuka.

He didn't bother with subtlety. He landed on the balcony, and they rushed inside.

Pen-Pen wandered into the living room and warked piteously. Asuka hurried into the kitchen, murmuring softly to him as she opened a can of sardines and poured them out into his dish. She watched him eat, against her better judgment, and walked out into the hall. She looked around, thankful that their place was intact. It made something in the world feel grounded, normal. It began to settle on her that all of this was real.

Shinji emerged from his bedroom, holding a silvery cylinder. He unscrewed the cap, and took her hand, curling his palm around hers. He took a deep breath and said, "Close your eyes."

When she opened them, she was underground. Shinji was standing beside her, holding her hands. She had a profound sense of the weight of the rock above her, held back by a curved ceiling that was marred by an angry crack. She was standing in some sort of lab. She saw burners and flasks made of a funny material that looked like glass but wasn't, unnervingly off in their design. In the center of the room was a long, polished rocket, like a bullet with fins. Beside it stood a tall man in a black body suit and a red tunic draped over his chest and back. On the robe was the same symbol that Shinji wore on his chest.

"What the-"

"Hello," said the man. "My name is Kal-El. I am speaking to you from a planet called _Krypton…"_

* * *

><p>Rei was busy. All of her. The sensation was heady. She had a memory of a memory, an inkling of what had come before, but none of her predecessors had shared experience anything like this. She was lying asleep on a hospital bed in the infirmary, two doors down from Hikari Horaki. She remembered Hikari, or at least her predecessor did, fondly, for her behavior in school and her relationships with the others. Rei was also busy at work in the laboratory where she was made, all eleven of her, including the one walking nude through the main tank, holding the body of the last Rei.<p>

She wondered how her predecessor had gotten anything done with only two pairs of hands. She had so much to do, so much to prepare. The previous Rei was still in a deep coma, able to be called alive only because she was not properly human. An ordinary human being would have mistaken her for dead, but she had simply complete what she, at the time, presumed to be a final upload, a sort of sacrifice to grant her gifts to the ones who came after her. She was not the sentimental type, at least where herself was concerned.

It was not for her sake that Rei would save her.

Part of her –it was difficult to keep track, sometimes, but she sent three bodies—took the elevator to the deepest depths, where no one could enter. Since access was controlled by the MAGI system, access was, naturally, hers. She had only bid the gates to open, and then three of her walked into the vast space, the "LCL Production Plant".

Her true self wore a mask of polished bone, once perfect, now cratered by debris, inscribed with the symbol of an ancient order of mystics, seven eyes over a triangle. She could feel the pull of it, the drag of the creature trying to draw her back into itself, but it was not yet time. She had problems to solve, things to do, and enemies to see defeated. She was the white giant on the rosy cross, and the white giant on the rosy cross was her.

She would not abandon her children any longer.

* * *

><p>Keel was losing his grip.<p>

He no longer breathed on his own. There was a machine to do that, a great pumping thing he could watch through a window in its side, where a plastic bellows rose up and down in perfect rhythm. There was another machine to pump his blood, similarly suspended, a plastic artificial mockery of a heart that leaked a little with each pump. Like an old engine, he had to be topped off constantly. The nurses that puttered around him preserving the rudimentary functions of his physical form mostly escaped his notice.

Keel did not suffer to spend his last hours, in this form at least, in a stark white mockery of a room filled with antiseptic odors and the faint stink of feces, even if he'd long lost the ability to smell. Though he was little more than a quivering collection of atrophied limbs and failed organs, he stilled had his dignity, and his hearing. Beethoven lulled him, for he could not sleep, only dream. He had shared so many hours with the boy, dreaming their dreams together and hearing the music.

His optic unit auto-focused on the valet who approached him. In his artificial sight, the attendant was little more than a blur in front of the blur that was his vast library of books, now merely an artifice, as he could no longer read now that his eyes had fully degenerated. The attendant shifted nervously. Keel's throat clicked, and the machines made the sounds into a mechanized voice rumbling, "Speak."

"Sir," the attendant said, staring into a leather portfolio, as if the pretense of officiality would soften the blow. "Kaworu Nagisa is dead."

"My Son," the mechanical voice boomed.

"Sir, I-"

"Get. Out. Send for the engineers."

The attendant left, and Keel motioned with his right index finger, the only part of his body that was still his, for the nurses to leave. They lowered the lights as they departed, and left him in poetic silence, full of music that made colors in the ruins of his mind. He had shared it so many times with the boy, always enjoying his wry smile, the curve of his chin, the shape of his eyes. He saw himself in that face, alien as it was, and now no one would see it again. He waited, half sleeping, until the engineers arrived.

His support apparatus was all of a piece. He had long surrendered his desk, so it was simply a matter of rolling him out, like so much cargo. He focused intently on the ceiling rolling over his head, counting the chandeliers. As a boy, before the wars, he had counted those chandeliers a thousand times, running from room to room, obsessed with quantifying their number. He would never run again, not in the great house nor in the fields outside, never run between the flowers in the springtime and slice them from their stems with an old sword.

How could anyone oppose such a noble goal? How could anyone refuse the glory of rebirth? To be free of suffering of pain, of death, of _ending?_ He ruminated on this as they loaded him into the back of the ambulance, and forced himself to remember. Soon, he would be forever, and he dared not forget who he was. Cool evening air breezed across his face before the bright lights of the ambulance interior nearly blinded him.

He was almost asleep again, at least for part of his journey. He could only glimpse the world through the two portholes at the rear of the vehicle, and it was there he focused his attention, rather than the sterile stainless steel cabinets and the swaying glass intravenous bottle and the harsh lighting. He saw trees as he rode. He remembered trees.

When he arrived, he was taken down, into a dark place, first by elevator, and then by a ramp through a concrete tunnel, dripping with moisture. The doctors and nurses and the engineers moved with him, carefully monitoring his vital signs. He was so close. The pain was about to begin. They took him to the operating room, first.

He saw the apparatus by which he would be inserted into the entry plug, a curved couch set in the body of a great machine festooned with the apparatus needed to keep him alive. He would not be able to breathe the LCL, he would need an oxygen supply, as it was not rich enough, and too thick for his tortured body to expel properly from his lungs. He felt nothing as the technicians switched over the machines, breathing first, then his heart, leaving the rest, since soon he would no longer need kidney dialysis, for example. When the basic functions were attended to, they began attaching the sensory devices.

The first thing to go was his eyesight, what was left of it. He waited while the new system was attached to the implants at the base of his skull. He could hear one of his manservants standing beside him. His hearing was always keen.

"Sir, the rest of the committee is demanding to know when the Complementation will begin."

"Soon," Keel's machines said. "Mass Production Series launch tonight."

"Yes sir," said the valet, and departed.

He felt it, felt them removing the pins from the implant and sliding the new ones in. Eyes first, then smell and taste, all transmitted to him from the machine. When it came time, at last, they picked him up, cradling his once massive body in a sheet, and slid him into the machine. Carefully, his limbs were positioned and clamped down, fixed in position, his head last of all. He would never move again, at least not in his present body. Soon, it would no longer matter.

They rolled the machine, and he felt the mass of it around him, though he could not see it, not yet. He heard the grinding of the crane as they moved him into a much larger space –the acoustics revealed that—and felt the shift in gravity as it picked him up and lowered his sarcophagus into the entry plug. When it sealed around him, there was a second sense of motion as the entire plug was raised into position. He could still move his jaw, and clenched his teeth when it slid home.

He could feel it around him already. The ice-cold LCL poured in around him, though he barely felt it. It rejuvenated him, soaked into his skin, restoring its elasticity, eased the pain in his joints, made his old bones feel less weary. He should have been soaking in it long ago. It began to heat.

"Sir," said the head engineer, "We are beginning the synchronization process."

Keel smiled in his steel coffin. The sensation was most odd, and most pleasant. It slithered up his spine, the first time he'd felt such a sensation in ages, and took root at the base of his skull. He could feel the creature pressing into him, joining with him, seeking him. He felt its alien desires, its need, its power.

"Passing absolute borderline. Third stage connection imminent."

Colors flashed, an ancient pattern wrought with significance. He wondered if the mewling children who piloted the lesser machines understood what they were seeing, that the Tree of Life was unfolding before their very eyes. His smile faded, as he no longer knew which set of lips was his. Then, it was on him. Sight, blessed sight, and a titan's sight at that. The light of the solar collector stung his new eyes even as it enervated him, passed into his being and made him whole. He felt the air current on his new skin, smelled the crisp outside air being pumped in by the ventilation system, heard the heartbeats of the pathetic things in the control room ahead of him, now so small.

"Third stage connection established. How do you feel, Chairman?"

He raised the hand of his new flesh before his eyes. It was white, as the others were, smooth and shining like the skin of a leviathan, but his arm was crooked and corded with massive, flexing muscles. Long spikes of gray bone protruded from his flesh along the back of his arm, at his new knuckles, and formed claws around the tips of his fingers. He marveled at them.

"Chairman?"

"Good," he rumbled, and he saw the men in the booth take a step backwards.

"E-excellent sir. The first operational test of the Kryptonian Hybrid Evangelion is a success."

"No test," Keel rumbled.

He pitched forward, tearing the restraints from the wall, felt them slide down his back and crash to the floor. He took an initial shaky step, and then another, prouder one. He held his arms out to steady himself, and heard the crashing of glass as the spikes along his hands tore rents in the sides of the solar collector.

"Sir," the lead technician babbled, "We need to run hours of tests and diagnostics before-"

Such a tiny thing, so soft. He reached out, bored his new digits into the concrete, and closed his fist around the control room. The mewling creatures inside were so small, so soft so insignificant, he barely felt them crush together against his palm. He dropped the detritus to his feet and began tearing at the wall, ripping great chunks free. He could feel her, his bride in the East, ancient Lilith who in union with him would raise Lorenz Keel to the Godhead.

In truth, he felt like a god already.

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<em>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

_Chapter Seventeen: A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not._


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.

**S**

* * *

><p>Kodama looked at Ritsuko the way she might look at a poisonous snake, or a particularly loathsome insect. Ritsuko felt an uncharacteristic urge to shy away, but the weight of what she carried folded under her arm impelled her forward. She put her other hand on the folder, folding it across her chest, as it she could draw strength from it, and walked into the room. She didn't speak to Kodama, not yet, but watched Hikari for a while. The girl's head was half covered in bandages, and she seemed so small, curled up under the blankets with only one leg and one arm. Ritsuko touched her hand, and felt Kodama tense.<p>

"What do you want?"

"I have something to show you. A proposal."

"I said, what do you want?"

She handed Kodama the folder.

"What is it?"

"See for yourself."

Kodama opened it and started flipping through the documents. Ritsuko clasped her hands behind her back and waited, watching the girl's eyes widen with each passing page. She reached the end, neatly closed the folder, and stared at it.

"After all she's been through, you want to make her a lab rat."

Ritsuko frowned. "That's not-"

"You want to _experiment_ on her."

"I want to fix her."

Kodama threw the folder on the floor and jumped to her feet, pointing at the bed. "You want to fix her? You want to _fix this?_ She's not a machine, Doctor Akagi. You've fixed enough already."

"Please," said Ritsuko, "Hear me out. I could restore her ability to walk and see. In time, with improvements from field testing, I could-"

"_Field testing?" _

Ritsuko sucked in a breath. She had to do this. "She'd be a pioneer. Millions of people would follow after her. Land mine victims, people who've lost their sight to age or disease."

Kodama clenched her teeth, and her hands folded into fists. "I am not letting you turn my sister into some kind of _machine._"

Ritsuko looked at the floor. "You can keep that," she said with a sigh, turning.

Hikari coughed. Everyone froze. Ritsuko slowly turned to see her one good eye open, lidded, watching her. Her free hand, weighed down by bandages and a pulse monitor clip and intravenous lines, lifted weakly from the bed, and her finger wagged in invitation. Ritsuko moved closer to the bed, glancing at a glaring Kodama, who moved beside her. Hikari swallowed, a piteous, rasping sound.

"She's thirsty," said Kodama, lifting a plastic cup full of ice chips.

Hikari to a sliver of ice in her mouth and closed her eye, working it around her lips reverently before swallowing. Ritsuko started to move away, but Hikari weakly grabbed her wrist, just barely touching her.

"Show me," she rasped.

Ritsuko picked up the folder from the floor and brought it to the bedside. She turned to the first of the schematics. "This would be your new arm. I'd have to remove and replace your scapula and part of your collarbone, and you'd have to wear a harness to support it."

Hikari nodded, and she went on.

"This would be your new leg. Again, I'd have to surgically remove part of your skeleton- I can't simply attach it to the old joint. In this case, I'd have to remove part of your pelvis and insert metal struts to support the joint. The leg would also attach to the external harness, which would carry your power supply."

Hikari smiled a thin smile. "I would need…" she closed her eyes and licked her lips, "batteries."

"I'm afraid so, yes. There's also a design here for an eye. I've been in contact with a plastic surgeon from Switzerland. I'm not guaranteeing you'd look exactly the same, but you'll look a lot better than if we simply gave you a glass eye."

"I would be able to see out of it."

"Yes."

"Do it," Hikari rasped.

Kodama tensed. Ritsuko glanced at her, then turned back to Hikari. "These surgeries would take months. The process would be far from painless, and there would be months of therapy."

Hikari closed her eye. "I said do it."

Ritsuko closed the folder and pressed it to her chest, sighing to herself. She hurried to the edge or the room and leaned on the frame of the wide door, staring out into the hallway. She heard Kodama stalk to her side, but didn't look at her.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm not going to leave her like that," said Ritsuko. "I'm not going to abandon her to a life of suffering. If I can do one good thing with my life, it'll be this."

She stood up, and without looking, walked away.

* * *

><p>Shinji met Rei in the elevator. It was somewhat disconcerting, since Rei was also in the hospital, and on the bridge helping with the repairs. So far, she had agreed never to appear in more than one body in the same place at the same time, but only after Misato begged her; to do otherwise, she argued, was 'inefficient'. Like all of her other bodies, this one was wearing a plugsuit. There were plenty of them, and they were, as she put it, "efficient".<p>

Asuka was with him, holding his hand. Misato and Ritsuko stood behind him. He looked over his shoulder.

"Where's Kaji?"

"Negotiating with the United Nations to keep us all out of prison," said Ritsuko. "I have a feeling he'll show up if he feels like it, anyway."

"We must hurry," said Rei. She had a post-it note stuck to her chest with the word "Five" written on it in neat letters. Shinji wondered why she'd done that, since none of the other ones had.

Asuka shifted nervously. "What's down there?"

"The truth," said Rei.

When the doors closed, Rei's eyelids flickered and the elevator began grinding down slowly on its own. No one spoke during the long ride, although Asuka's grip on his hand grew tighter. He was surprised by the length of the descent. He could feel the weight of the rock over his head as the plunged downward, so far they must have broken through the bedrock. When he looked through the walls of the elevator he saw only the machinery of the shaft and dark, deep, dense rock that seemed to go on forever. Far below he could see some sort of space, but it was difficult to make out. The rock was too dense.

At length, the elevator stopped, and Rei led the way. Asuka looked around wide-eyed as they passed through a large space of bare concrete walls, industrial looking and heavily used, with water dripping down the walls. It reminded Shinji of Rei's apartment. She must have liked spaces like this. Beyond it was another lab.

Beyond the first set of empty labs was a fully functional one, a dark room dominated by a clear glass tube, and at the far end, a massive glass tank, now empty. Rei was everywhere here. It was hard to count the copies of her walking around in plugsuits, as they were all identical except for the numbers on their chests. Asuka shivered.

"I had a nightmare like this once," she whispered.

"Join the club," Ritsuko said absently.

The Rei bodies mostly ignored them, bustling around the room attending the various consoles. Sometimes, they would stop and stare into each other's eyes, locked in some sort of silent conversation, before they went on about their business. The one with the five on her chest led them past the large tube to the tank at the rear of the room.

A Rei floated inside, in the fetal position. Unlike the others, she was nude, and Shinji winced. Her arm and face and legs were covered with severe burns, and two Reis standing in the tank, moving around with exaggerated steps like astronauts on the moon, were moving her around and using scapels to carefully excise strips of burned flesh with scalpels and collect them in small plastic containers. They ignored the small party that had taken up a position watching them.

Ritsuko glanced at the panel. "You changed the nutrient concentration in the LCL bath."

"Yes," said Five.

Ritsuko nodded. "That's the third Rei. You're repairing her. Is she still alive?"

"Life and death are more complex than you are prepared to accept," said Five. "There is yet hope she may survive. We believe her mind has fully integrated with the MAGI and she is now in information space, ready to return to her physical form when we have repaired it."

"Why not just put her in another body?" said Shinji.

"It does not work that way."

"I don't understand this," said Asuka. "How can there be more than one of you? Are you like a hive mind or something?"

"No," said Five. "We are all individuals, but we are all Rei. A perfect copy is the same as the original."

Ritsuko looked around. "When they stare in each other's eyes, what are they doing?"

"We can interface with each other as we interface with the MAGI system. It is usually unnecessary. Our thought patterns are identical, but in a chaotic space there can be some divergence due to miniscule changes in the system. Therefore, we interface to ensure we have attained consensus."

"So you're not a hive mind," said Asuka.

Five stared at her. "No. I am 'the talkative one'. That is why I have been chosen to represent the system."

"Okay," said Asuka, "Let's change the subject."

Shinji put his hand on the glass. "What else are you doing down here?"

"Preparing."

"For what?"

"Seele," said Rei. "Now that Kaworu Nagisa is dead, they will mount an attack and attempt to complete the Red Earth Ceremony."

"The what?" said Ritsuko.

"Instrumentality," said Shinji. "That's what that means, isn't it? It's what they call their plan for Instrumentality."

"I'm a little lost here," said Misato.

Five nodded. "You will understand when we show you Terminal Dogma. There is something else you must see, first. Follow me, please."

She moved around, behind the tank. There was a plain wall behind it, unmarked except for an inexplicably placed numerical keypad embedded in the wall. Ritsuko walked over to it and leaned over it, brushing the dust from the top with her finger.

"That's odd. I never noticed this before."

"It is not connected to the MAGI system," said Rei. "Therefore, we cannot override it."

Shinji scanned the wall. There was definitely something behind it, but the walls of the inner chamber were too dense to see through. "There's something back there, some kind of room."

"A hidden door?" said Misato.

"I have an idea," said Shinji.

He tapped his birth date into the pad. Nothing happened, and he sighed. Then, there was a grinding sound, and a section of the black wall slid inwards, exposing a seam even he hadn't noticed, until it had traveled a few inches. It then slid apart, letting a chill wind flow out. He could feel the size of the space inside. He motioned for the others to stay back and walked inside a few paces, his footsteps echoing in the gloom. He looked around until he saw a switch- an exposed blade switch, no less, like something out of an old science fiction movie. He threw it, and there was a shower of sparks.

"This must be completely disconnected from the main grid," said Ritsuko, "I never knew it was here."

One by one, heavy sodium lamps thumped on, bathing the room in an eerie orange glow. It was as large as Shinji thought. The walls were lined with lab equipment and benches. Ritsuko rushed past him to examine it, heedless of the danger. Shinji could only focus on the object spread out in pieces on a large table in the center of the room. By looking at the smooth, silvery shell, if it were put back together, it would make...

"It's the rocket," Asuka breathed. "_The _rocket."

"Look at this," said Ritsuko, looking at the lab equipment. "This is our old equipment from upstairs. Gene sequencers, centrifuges, an autoclave, it's all here. He set up some kind of genetics lab."

Shinji moved to the rocket, reaching out for the pieces before Ritsuko grabbed his wrist. "There may be residual Kryptonite in the fuel chamber. Be careful."

"This is incredible," said Misato. "What was he doing here?"

"Let me look over these lab notebooks," said Ritsuko.

"What's this?" said Misato.

On the side wall, there was a whiteboard. Most of it was some sort of scientific shorthand, scrawled so densely and so tightly even Shinji could barely make it out, but in the center, written in large, block letters was a simple legend. "I stole fire from Heaven."

Shinji scrubbed his hands through his hair. "Fire from Heaven," he said.

He turned back to the rocket. He didn't feel even the least bit queasy, which was good. The shell of the rocket was spread out- it looked like an exploded schematic, the parts laid out to display the finished shape of the outer fuselage. Its guts were lying on the table, but appeared intact. Shinji held his hand over the sphere that would have held the fuel, but felt nothing.

"How did he get it open?"

Ritsuko flipped through a lab notebook. "He used a sample of your genetic material. Apparently, it reacts to you."

"What are these?"

Mounted in the center of the apparatus, connected to one another by thin streamers of wire in a roughly triangular pattern, were three spheres, about the size of a grapefruit. He touched one of the shells, and found it cool under his fingertip. He was tempted to pick one up but stopped.

"That's the central processing unit," said Ritsuko, reading from one of the notebooks. "It's three cores that communicate with each other for a decision making process. It's like the MAGI. Exactly like the MAGI. This must be where the cloned nervous tissue we used came from."

"What are these?" said Shinji, reaching for a simple box with a series of crystals mounted in it. When he touched one, it vibrated, and the whole thing hummed.

"Um," said Misato, "What is it-"

Something like a screen, some sort of hologram, flickered into the air above the rocket. It had a simple legend-

ARCHIVES- FUNCTIONAL

CONSTRUCTOR SYSTEM- INSUFFICIENT POWER

"Constructor system?" said Asuka. "What the hell is that?"

"What?" said Misato. "How are you reading that? It's just gibberish."

Ritsuko slapped the notebook closed. "It's not gibberish, it's Kryptonian."

"I don't know how to read Kryptonian," Shinji objected.

"Apparently you do. It must be part of your genetic memory somehow. Asuka, you too."

"I don't think we should mess with it," said Asuka.

"Agreed," said Ritsuko, "Not until we know what we're dealing with."

"Okay then," said Misato. "We'll leave it alone."

"We must go to Terminal Dogma immediately," said Rei Five. "There may not be much time."

Misato nodded. "What's down there?"

"You will see," said Five.

She led them out of the hidden lab. Ritsuko carried one of the notebooks with her, still leafing through it as she walked. Beyond a set of doors in the Rei lab, there was another elevator, unlocked, with a single button. Rei didn't have to press it, the doors simply slid open. Shinji was surprised at the lack of security, but he supposed if someone made it this far, it would no longer matter. The elevator ride was longer than the first, and Shinji felt an increasing sense of nervousness. They had to be very far underground.

When it finally stopped, the doors opened onto a cavernous space illuminated by work lights. The floor was bare black stone, smooth and slightly grayed, almost like ash. A tunnel, roughly carved into the stone, led away in the darkness. As Shinji walked he touched the sides. There were tool marks, the remnants of some kind of tunnel boring machine, probably the type used to carve underwater tunnels. It must have taken years to burrow through the rock, long before Second Impact, even. His footsteps echoed in the darkness.

"This is creepy," said Asuka. "Where the hell are we going?"

"Terminal Dogma," said Rei.

"Yeah, I caught that part," said Asuka, "but what the hell is a 'Terminal Dogma'?"

"The chamber within the Black Moon where Lilith rests."

"That's really helpful."

After a while, the light seemed to come from everywhere at once, without an obvious source. Shinji couldn't see through the walls, and something about that bothered him. He glanced over his shoulder and stopped, the others almost bumping into him. There was something off in the darkness behind them, three shapes.

"What is it?" said Misato.

He moved past them, looking back up the tunnel.

"Nothing," he said, "Must be my imagination."

He picked up his pace to keep up with Rei. She looked nervous about something, and seemed to stumble every few steps, as if someone were pulling her by the shoulder. The tunnel widened, and instead of being neatly carved, the rock was sheared off. He stepped out into the open space, followed shortly by the others, gathering around him. Ritsuko turned away. Misato stood and stared, dumbstruck. Asuka squeezed his hand so hard it almost hurt.

There was a sea, a sea of blood in the Earth, acrid and stinking of iron. In the middle of the sea was a rosy cross of rusted iron, and bound upon it was the form of man, a great white giant of smooth, almost cetacean flesh, hanging limply from massive nails driven into its pudgy digits. Its long legs dangled into the sea beneath it, and from a thousand cuts, thin, watery blood flowed.

"Is that…" said Shinji.

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "We refine it into LCL."

"_Eww," _Asuka said sharply, as if she were about to retch. "I've been rubbing that in my _hair." _

Shinji looked at her.

"What?"

"That," said Rei, "is Lilith, the All-Mother, the origin of all native terrestrial life on Earth. Through the forbidden union of Adam and Lilith, all life will return to nothing, reverting to the molecular primordial soup you call LCL. All souls will be reunited in Lilith, and all individuality and discrete existence will end. The Earth will be returned to its zero state, as she found it, billions of years ago."

"Yes," said Shinji. "When we were taken into the other place with the Evas, I was told about this. How do we stop it?"

"We cannot," said Rei, "So long as Adam and Lilith or their children continue to coexist on the same planet, the Forbidden Union is inevitable. For that reason, we have already initiated it."

"When you consumed Kaworu's core," Ritsuko said absently. "It's already started. Why haven't you rejoined her?"

"There will come seven Mass Production Evangelions," said Rei, "and the KHE. If we join while they still exist, the process can be co-opted and control taken away from us."

"Kryptonian-Evangelion Hybrid," said Shinji. "That's why they were hiding it behind acronyms and budget reports, so you wouldn't find out about it."

"Indeed."

"So that's it?" Misato said her voice high and strained. "After all this, we're just going to die? You're going to merge with a fucking marshmallow thing and kill us all?"

Rei tilted her head to the side, and rested her hand on Misato's shoulder.

"We have an alternative in mind. The Red Earth ceremony must not commence. You must stop them."

"When will the attack come?" said Ritsuko.

Rei looked up, and closed her eyes, and her eyelids twitched as her eyes rolled beneath them, as though she were dreaming. She opened them again and said, "We must return to the surface immediately."

* * *

><p>Kaji was getting sick of conference rooms and meetings. Working in the field was much more interesting. He managed to actually tuck in his shirt and straighten his tie, as befitting a meeting with the Secretary-General herself, the "Freaking Secretary General of the United Nations" as Misato called her. He was unsure of how this was going to go, but so far, so good. He was sitting at the end of a conference table with the Secetary at the other end and representatives from the rest of the Security Council ringing the table.<p>

Nakahima held the thumb drive in her slender fingers. "You make extraordinary claims."

He leaned forward and folded his hands on the table. "I have extraordinary evidence. If you've gone over the material I've gathered you'll see that the conspiracy reached only so far down as Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki. I don't think anyone else at Nerv knew what they were planning. No one in their right mind would go along with this."

"You believe that Fuyutsuki was colluding with Superman, and this led to his death."

Kaji nodded.

Nakashima frowned. "He should have come to us."

Kaji looked his folded hands on the table, secretly smiling to himself. "With all due respect, Madame Secretary, I think he chose a more powerful ally."

"Indeed," said Nakashima, "which is why you're now asking us to do the same thing. You claim that Superman will testify on behalf of the senior staff of Nerv, and that he has inside information you are not privy to."

"That's right."

"Yet, he doesn't work for them."

He sighed. "I know it sounds mad, but what he told you is true. He is an alien. Is that so hard to believe? We've been at war with alien beings for nearly a year, for fifteen years if you look at the hard facts. We live in a new universe, Madame Secretary, a much bigger universe than any of us ever imagined before."

"And I thought you were a cynic."

"I think even a dedicated cynic has to give in a little when he meets a man who can fly."

Nakashima smiled at him, wryly. "Based on your report, I'm inclined to agree with your conclusions but I'm not prepared to go so far. Assuming Superman does indeed testify and we have full cooperation, your people will have their immunity. Ritsuko Akagi's freedom will carry some conditions, however."

"I'm sure she'll agree to them. What about the children?"

"I'll do what I can to see the terms of their contracts with Nerv are honored, and we will protect their identities."

"Good luck with that," Kaji said to no one in particular.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, Madame Secretary. I'm personally familiar with the pilot corps and some of them are, shall we say, prima donnas. Think fighter pilots."

"Ah," said Nakashima. "For the moment, Misato Katsuragi will remain the acting commander, and the rest of the chain of command will remain in place."

"What does the committee have to say?"

She shook her head. "The Committee members that were in country have all left in the last twenty four hours, and no one is returning my calls."

Kaji frowned. "They're leaving the area?"

"Yes."

"I think we should prepare for-"

A heavyset American sitting next to the Secretary stood up. "I have something I must say," he said calmly, adjusting his heavy glasses. "Through the pain of death lies the glory of rebirth."

He reached into his jagged, tugged out a pistol, and aimed at the Secretary.

Kaji's hand flashed out, and he put two quick shots from his pocket backup gun into the man's arm. His aim went wild and the Secretary screamed as the gun went off over her head. The room went insane. The big American tried to crawl over to his dropped gun as Kaji jumped up on the table, ran down its length, and kicked him in the chin. He toppled over backwards and Kaji was on him, knocking the gun away with his foot. He aimed his own pistol at the man's head.

The big fool only grinned, fumbled something around his mouth with his tongue, and bit down. He convulsed, throwing Kaji off of him, and foam flushed from between his lips and through his nose. Kaji moved to his side, and then recoiled.

"Cyanide capsule," he panted, "Suicide pill."

Nakashima stood up slowly, her steel-gray bun all out of place, raggedy strands of gray hair hanging in her face. "Thank you, agent."

She turned to her aide. "Get security in here, now. I want the situation room ready, we-"

Another aide ran in the room. Kaji instinctively readied himself, holding his gun low, and moved to the door. The man, he couldn't have been much more than eighteen or nineteen, ran into the room, panting.

"Madame Secretary!" he shouted, "The Russians just launched a ballistic missile at us!"

* * *

><p>Shinji left his civilian clothes behind him as he ran along the floor of the Geofront. He'd managed to repair his suit- he had most of a spare put together already, before Unit Three, and had finished it the night before. It was good that he did, as he realized he was going to need it. He took off and headed for the open crater in the roof of the Geofront, gaping open wide like a great mouth, blue sky beyond it. The sun on his skin was like a baptism as he rocketed up out of the opening, looking away from the devastation all around him. The beautiful summer city of his faded memories was gone now, and only cinders lived in its place.<p>

He couldn't see the missile yet. He hoped it was non-nuclear, hoped that the madmen would not want their new God irradiated. The world fell away beneath his feet as he rose up, spreading out beneath him and curving, the edges falling away into the great blue ring that was the sky. He turned in the air, scanning the horizon, until he saw it. The missile was as big as a small skyscraper, still headed straight up on a plume of dense white smoke, pushing into the air so hard he could see the shockwaves rolling off its nose.

Where the atmosphere was thinner, at the very edge of space, it would be easier to move. He skimmed along, the world spinning slowly under him, pulling a thin contrail of compressed air in his wake. He saw the missile rise up through the clouds, carrying them with it, thin streamers trailing from its long form. The first stage booster fell away and a second engine fired, pushing it up and out of the atmosphere, and he followed after it.

He only had to turn it off course. Once it went into free-fall, it would be unpowered, unable to maneuver. The strength of a ballistic missile was that it fell so quickly once it reached the apex of its flight that it couldn't be shot down, but its great weakness was that inability to maneuver. He followed it to the top of the arc as the second booster fell away, the warhead turned, and it started moving straight down. He moved alongside it, resting his hands on it, and then he felt something moving inside.

With all his might, he pushed. The missile wasn't for Tokyo-3, after all. They knew he would try to catch it. He gave it a great shove and dove down as fast as he could, moving away from the warhead as it tumbled in the air and fell off course. When it went off behind him, there was no sound. The light and heat moved ahead of the noise, pushing a pressure wave through the upper atmosphere, and he pushed as hard as he could, the fire of a tiny sun on his heels. When he looked over his shoulder he saw a new star born in the sky, a second sun that ringed itself in cloud.

A sudden thought dawned in his mind. They would have known he could outrun it. They launched it for a single purpose- to get him out of the Geofront.

* * *

><p>"Full alert!" Misato shouted, "everyone to battle stations!"<p>

Aoba, Hyuga, and Maya, sitting in front of their consoles amid the computer's guts, looked at her in a panic as she ran down the stairs to their section of the bridge, but quickly turned and began carrying out her order. Ritsuko passed her in a flurry, spun herself around, and slid down the ladder to the lower section where the MAGI nodes stood. She ran to the console and started typing furiously.

"I'm glad you're here, Captain… err, Commander," said Hyuga, "Everything's going nuts. Someone launched a missile at us, and there was some kind of explosion at the Munich facility. I'm trying to bring up a satellite feed."

The main screen was still out, in fact, there was still a gaping hole in the wall where it once stood, but Misato watched the feed on Hyuga's much small monitor. Black smoke, thick and heavy, hung over the entire city. The satellite was powerful enough to duplicate a flyover from a few hundred feet, but there was nothing but a smoking crater visible just outside the city.

Something immense was moving under the cloud cover, and every once in a while, a swinging pair of what looked like wings appeared and then disappeared again. As if it knew it was being watched, whatever it was stopped, and stood up. Its head came up and she caught a brief glimpse of it through the smoke, a monstrous thing, an ancient leviathan with slavering jaws filled with razor sharp teeth and bulging bloodshot eyes. There was a red flash that turned to white, and the satellite went dead.

"What happened?"

"The satellite's gone," said Hyuga.

She stood up, and looked around. "What's the word on that missile?"

"it detonated in the ionosphere," said Hyuga, "it was an antimatter explosion. Why would they do that?"

She looked around. Shinji. "It was a distraction."

"A distraction," Aoba said, incredulously. "Who the hell uses a nuke as a distraction?"

"Someone trying to distract Superman. Shut all this down, get everyone to the lower level. We have to protect the MAGI and this position isn't defensible. Seal those doors."

"Ma'am," said Maya, "What about the hospital, and the outbuildings?"

"Sound an evacuation alarm. Get the hospital administrator on the phone, I want everyone and everything they can move brought over here through the service tunnel as quickly as possible, I mean double time it. Tell them we're expecting an attack."

"We've got a problem," Ritsuko shouted from the lower level. "The Berlin branch is trying to hack the MAGI."

Misato ran to the railing and looked down at her. "Give me some information!"

Ritsuko shook her head. "I don't understand what I'm looking at. They're locked out. Our MAGI are writing some kind of heuristic firewall, on the fly- it's like it's designing a secondary artificial intelligence without any input from me, but it's drawing processing power away from other functions."

"Oh," said Misato, "That's fantastic. Hyuga, what kind of communications do we have?"

"Almost everything," he said, "Satellite, high gain, land lines. We lost a few lines in the last attack, but-"

"Get on all of them and send out a distress signal. We are under attack."

Hyuga nodded.

"Commander," said Maya, "look at this."

She rushed over to Maya's station. The map showed seven blips moving across the continent at high speed over China, heading in their direction. The pattern matched those of an Evangelion, and they were flying in formation. She swallowed.

"Hyuga," she said, "Add something to that distress call. We have hostile Evangelions inbound."

He stared at her for a moment. "Y-yes, ma'am," he stammered, turning back to his work.

"We've been caught with our pants down. Aoba, what's the status of the Evas?"

"Both are in the cages, but Unit One is being locked down with Bakelite."

"Well _unlock it!" _

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Ritsuko shouted. "If the super-solenoid were to destabilize, we-"

"We're all dead anyway if we can't mount some kind of defense. I want Section 2 on full alert. Where are my security teams?"

"Moving," said Hyuga, "They're moving to cover the entrances."

"Well, you heard me. Get those consoles shut down, grab the portables, and get downstairs."

"We'll be at a disadvantage down there," said Aoba, pulling out his portable unit. "If anyone comes in here, they'll have the high ground."

"We have to keep the MAGI system up," said Misato. "Without it, we're defenseless. Come on, go."

"The nodes are armored to resist attack," said Ritsuko.

"We're not leaving," Misato insisted. "Damn it, I'm not abandoning this place again."

"There's an alternative," said Ritsuko. "I can set the Bakelite injectors in a time delay. Give us a few minutes to get out, then seal the entire level."

"Then we're trapped without access to the lower levels."

Ritsuko grabbed her head with both hands. "We're sitting ducks down here."

Misato sighed. "Okay, do it. Everybody, grab those portables, we'll head to Ritsuko's lab, that's a fairly defensible position, there's only one way in and out, and it's near the armory. Let's go."

* * *

><p>As he ran out of United Nations headquarters, Kaji ducked instinctively. A black chopper, a big Chinook transport, rumbled low overhead, bathing him in the downwash. He looked up and saw more thumping in, a whole swarm of them. They must have never intended for the choppers to reach the ground. He got up and ran for his car, slid over the hood on his ass, and clambered inside, pulling the door shut even as he shoved the clutch in and turned over the engine. He squealed out of the parking lot, following the flow of the choppers. He threw the top back as he slowed for a curve, to get a better look.<p>

He floored it when he hit the highway. There was no traffic going into Tokyo-3, and for good reason. He looked up at the choppers again. They were short range craft, meaning they'd originated in-country, unless they'd flown one way, and that would be stretching it. When he crested the rise leading into the city, he saw them take on a formation, orbiting the city center like swirling vultures. One by one, they tipped up into a hover and lowered themselves into the huge hole blasted ground that led into the Geofront, a dangerous, almost suicidal maneuver. He looked over his shoulder and saw a second wave approaching, and among them were attack helicopters.

Kaji slammed on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the road. He threw his jacket aside, tore off his dress shirt and tie, exposing the black body glove he had on underneath. Hidden under the rear deck of the car was his gear. He slipped out his trousers and pulled his heavy combat boots on over his jumpsuit, shrugging into his gear harness as he did. From the trunk, he pulled a heavy silenced .45 submachine gun and threw it the passenger's seat, jumped back in, and took off towards the city.

He looked up at the waves of invaders soaring over his head and new Nerv was badly outnumbered. Hell, the JSSDF would have a difficult time repelling an attack like this. From a flight of choppers over his head, an angular attack helicopter, lean and shark-like beside the bulk of the transports, peeled off, circling around lazily so that it flew sideways, aiming its weapons at him.

Oh, perfect.

He veered to the side as it opened fire with its main gun, the shells ripping up the pavement to his side as he swerved out of the way. It was no good, he couldn't maneuver fast enough to avoid them for more than a few seconds. Then, there was a wind, or so he thought, but it was not a wind, but a blur of motion, stepping between him and the rain of fire falling on him. Shinji turned lazilin the air beside him, the explosive shells bursting across his back, as harmless as balloons. He nodded to Kaji, turned, and headed for the chopper.

When he met it, he lighted on the side, reached up, and grabbed the central joint where the rotors hung together. There was an awful shearing sound as he hand met the metal, and the rotors slowed. He tore the entire apparatus off and tossed it away into space, and it ran along the ground like a loose bicycle wheel, the blades shattering and bending as they hit. He held the chopper up through his own strength, turning it, and with his free hand yanked the cockpit off. He grabbed one of the pilots, then the other, holding them by the collars of their flight suits with just his fingers, and then with the barest effort turned the entire body of the chopper by swinging his arm and tossed it down by the side of the overpass.

Kaji skidded to a stop as Shinji landed in the road, leaping from the car with his weapon slung over his shoulder. The pilots feebly scrabbled for their sidearms until Shinji yanked them free, held them together in his hand, and crumpled them into a bundle of folded metal and snapped plastic. He tossed it over his shoulder and threw them down on the pavement.

"Who are you people?" he shouted.

Almost in unison, they convulsed, foam spraying from their lips. Shinji started, and Kaji grabbed his shoulder.

"Suicide pills."

"What? Why would they do that?"

"They think they're being reborn in paradise, or something."

"We have to get back to the base," said Shinji, looking at Kaji's car. "That's too slow. Come with me."

"What are you-"

Shinji picked up him, threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, and took off.

* * *

><p>Toji ran into the hospital room, covering his ears to drown out the shrieking of the alarm. He'd only stepped out for a little while to get some air, while the Akagi lady talked to Kodama. Akagi scared him; she was like some kind of mad scientist in a movie. He decided to take a walk for a while, even though he was afraid he'd miss it when Hikari finally woke up. He needed to get out of that room, away from Kodama and her bouts of staring sullenly at the floor or weeping softly, away from the thousand yard stare of Hikari's father. He want to see his own dad, but he was working down in the Eva cages and he didn't exactly have time off, with everything that was happening. When he got back, there were doctors and nurses crowded in the room. He teared up, before he even realized it.<p>

"What's happening?" he choked.

Kodama grabbed his shoulders. "It's okay, she's fine. We have to move her."

"Move her? Where?"

"Over to the base. There's some kind of attack or something coming."

"I don't understand," said Toji. "We're underground, we never had to move before!"

One of the doctors looked over his shoulder. "Kid, it's not an angel this time."

Toji felt the blood drain out of his face his hands were cold. "You mean it's _people?_ Why would somebody do that?"

"I don't know," said Kodama.

"Why would they hurt Hikari?"

"She's a pilot," Kodama hissed angrily, ducking to the door.

She yelped and ran back into the room, followed shortly by the sound of gunfire. Chunks of wood and masonry flew out of the wall. The doctors moved to cover Hikari with their bodies, and the nurses pressed against the back wall. Toji saw shadows on the wall, distorted, like strange creatures, but they were only men in helmets and gas masks. They rounded the corner, turned through the door, and he practically felt the machine guns level at him.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something happened, and when they fired, there was no sound. They fell backwards, and he saw the bullets bouncing off of something, some kind of plane of orange light that unfolded in front of him in an eleven-sided shape with weird angles that made his head feel funny when he looked at them. He moved to Hikari's side, adding his body to the human shield, until a moment later a wave of amber light shoved the attackers back, crushing their bodies together and sweeping them aside like so much dirt.

Rei stood in the door. "We must leave."

"We're not done prepping her," said the doctor.

"There is no time. I cannot remain here indefinitely to protect her."

"She'll die!"

Rei had a curious look of calm on her face, even for her. "Today is not the day she dies. Bring her."

Hurried, they tossed the IV bags onto the bed and unhooked the rest of the monitors. Toji and Hikari cleared out of the way to let the bed fit through the door. He threw himself behind it and helped push, running down the hall. Hikari's head lolled and she groaned, but she seemed okay. Kodama ran alongside her, leaning into it, pulling the bed with her hands. She threw her legs out and pushed her shoulder into the bed to help it make a turn.

Rei walked along calmly behind them. Toji glanced over his shoulder and saw another team of armed men approaching her. Rei looked at them for a moment, as if in thought, and gestured with her hand. They weren't simply shoved away, a spiraling form of orange light, like some sort of luminous buzz saw, formed in the middle of the hallway and expanded outwards in every direction, crashing into the walls and the ceiling and floor, and the whole hall collapsed in on itself behind her, crashing into a heap as the floors above slammed down as the load bearing walls fell. She turned and continued walking. There was something glowing in her chest, and it was burning her hospital gown, barely hanging on her shoulders by threads. She continued following, padding down the hall in her bare feet.

The doors to the access tunnel that led to the main base were locked. Rei blew them apart with a gesture, just unmade them into chunks that spread along the sides of the concrete tunnel. Toji joined the doctors in pushing and as the sodium lights flickered over Hikari's head, she moaned. A tiny trickle of blood leaked from her lip.

"Do something!" Kodama screamed.

The bed slowed and the doctors move to her side in a panic, until Rei pushed them aside with her slender arm. She looked at Hikari, moved, and before anyone could stop her, sunk her hand in Hikari's chest to the wrist. Hikari gasped and there was a loud popping sound. She half-sat up, her back arching, and then fell back into the bed, out cold but breathing normally. The doctors stared in stunned shock before she nodded forward, and they started moving again.

"Where do we go?" said Kodama.

"The Section 2 barracks will be the safest place," said Rei. "Follow me."

* * *

><p>Kaji rolled off of Shinji's shoulder, almost dropping his gun, and shouted "Never do that again!"<p>

"Sorry," Shinji shot back, "I didn't want to carry you newlywed style, that would be weird."

Kaji looked at him. "Take care of the surface, I'm going down into the base."

Shinji nodded, watching him run towards the ruins of the pyramid. He turned back and watched the helicopters spin in slow circles as they filtered down into the Geofront. The backwash made his cape flap out behind him as he walked towards the landing zone where the heavier transports were coming down in near rows and disembarking their cargo and passengers from ramps at their backs. He lifted off the ground and floated over their heads, and drew in enough air to make his voice ring like thunderclaps through the cavern.

"Excuse me," he said. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

He saw muzzle flashes. The bullets streamed lazily through the air towards him, slapping off his skin like raindrops as he descended. He was surrounded by flashes and gunfire. He plucked a grenade out of the air, closed his fists around it, and after it went off with a low thump, he let the shrapnel slide from his palms and dusted them off with a clap. He walked over to the nearest helicopter, put his hand under the long tank that ran beside the fuselage, and casually flipped it over. It moaned as it rolled up on one side of the landing gear and toppled over, snapping the blades. A Humvee loaded with men ran past him, kicking up mud and dust. He focused on one of the tires, and it went up with a loud bang, shreds of melted rubber flying off into space.

Someone charged him, shouting "Through the pain of death lies-"

Shinji all but ignored him, knocking him unconscious with a casual backhand across the top of his helmet. He walked among them, yanking the rifles out of their hands and folding them up into squares, pushing the choppers onto their sides, ripping the wheels off of the Humvees. Even as he moved, there were too many, more and more helicopters flooding through the roof of the Geofront every moment. He had no idea where they'd all come from. He picked out the engines in the helicopters and started focusing on them until their wiring melted and they spun around lazily, held aloft only by autorotation, ignoring the hail of gunfire as he walked across the cavern floor.

A group of Humvees made a breakout and charged away from him at high speed, bouncing and leaping across the patchy, muddy remnants of agricultural fields and forest. Shinji followed them, soaring over their heads, and landed in front of the lead vehicle. He put one hand on the bumper, planted his feet in the mud, and forced it to a stop. The hood came off with a yank, and he pulled out the distributor and tossed it away in a tangle of wires before turning to the others. He ripped a tire off here, blew one out with his gaze there, and pulled out the rear axle of one of the vehicles as it crested a small rise, leaving it sputtering, the engine screaming madly as the driver, seemingly ignorant of the vehicle's distress, kept gunning the engine.

Shinji walked over to it, pulled him out, and for good measure, ripped out the steering column.

"Hey," he shouted. "Who are you people?"

The driver just stared at him dumbly. Shinji looked at him, looked into his body. There was something wired into his skull, with wires running from a pair of what looked like nerve clips to an apparatus embedded in his helmet. As Shinji looked around, he saw that they were all like that, with wires running right into their skulls. He pushed the man back against the car, focused on the spot where the electronic bundle was mounted in his helmet, and melted it.

He looked at Shinji in shock. "Gdje sam?"

* * *

><p>Misato carried the last portable unit into Ritsuko's lab, unbalanced by the rifle slung over her shoulder. She carried to the back where Maya and Hyuga were setting up while she, Ritsuko, and Aoba hovered near the door, checking their rifles. Ritsuko had a cigarette dangling out of her mouth as she checked the magazine, slapped it in place, and yanked the charging handle.<p>

"Very butch," said Misato.

"Oh, shut up."

Misato risked leaning out the door, pushing her helmet into place. It wouldn't sit right on her damn hair, so she undid her ponytail and crushed it down, doing up the strap under her chin. She raised her rifle and then abruptly pulled back, holding her fingers away from the trigger as Kaji jogged down the corridor, a machinegun slung over his shoulder. He arrived at the door, panting.

"Let me in, damn it. Where the hell is everybody?"

"I have Section 2 covering the entrances, and everyone else is holing up in the barracks," said Misato. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"My work clothes."

Misato shook her head. "What's the situation outside?"

"There's an army up there, that's the situation outside. Shinji's outside holding them off."

Aoba looked at him and blinked. "What? I didn't know he could shoot."

Hyuga sighed behind him. "You really don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Get inside," Kaji said sharply, pushing them back in. "Does this door lock?"

Ritsuko hit the panel and the door slid shut, and she typed in her access code to seal it from the inside. "There's not much cover in here."

"It's the best I could do on short notice. The walls are reinforced," said Misato, "and the door is, too. This whole place is a fortress."

"A poorly designed fortress," said Kaji. "There's plenty of ways in."

"I don't know about that," said Hyuga. "The blast doors are lowering. We might be okay."

"What about the Eva launch tubes?" said Kaji.

"Tubes 8, 29, and 37 are seized up," said Hyuga, "the mechanisms were fried in the last attack. That's suicide, though. No one could get in through there."

"Suicide, eh," said Kaji. "Get on your radios and let everyone know we may have company."

"Wait," said Misato. "If they come in through the tubes, wouldn't they come out in the cages?"

"Yeah," said Hyuga, "I guess, why… oh."

Misato jumped up, dragging Kaji by the arm. "Rits, you have the deck."

"Right," Ritsuko sighed, standing by the door.

She hit the panel and the door slid open. Misato looked out, and then waved Kaji on. The door closed behind them and they moved down the hall, stopping at the first corner to check, advancing in unison with each other. She'd never done anything like this with him before, but felt natural, almost easy. They made it to the elevators and Kaji kept moving, heading for the stairwells instead. It would take longer, and they'd have to thread through the twisting labyrinth of the base, but it was better than being caught in an ambush when the elevator doors opened.

Kaji went in first, leaning over the railing, and motioned her forward, but she was already moving. They headed down that way, towards the cage level, moving one by one and covering the corners, and each other. At last, at the cages, they stopped, and Kaji edged the door open with the barrel of his weapon, peering through. When he saw it clear, he motioned her forward, and they moved together, jogging down the hall.

"Where are the pilots?"

"Asuka and Rei were on their way here."

"You really think Rei piloting is a good idea? Unit Zero is-"

"Down, I know, but we don't have a pilot for Unit Two."

She stopped near the locker rooms, peering around the corner. She heard footsteps behind her, whirled, and saw Asuka and Rei stepping out of the elevator.

"Hey," said Asuka, "what the hell is going on?"

"Get over here," Misato hissed, motioning them over.

Asuka jogged to her side.

"We're under attack," said Misato, peering around the corner. "They might be in the cage."

"Under attack? By who?"

"Everybody," said Kaji.

"Let's get to our lockers and suit up," said Asuka, motioning Rei forward.

It was the one with the "Five" on her chest, Misato noted. Kaji darted to the other side, and together they covered the walkway across the first cage while the girls headed into the locker room. It was an agonizing wait, but Rei was already suited up and it only took Asuka a minute to get into her own suit, and together they moved up to the next cage, where Unit Two stood.

"Wait," said Asuka, "Who's going to pilot which one?"

"I will pilot Unit Two," said Rei. "You are the most adept pilot, and Unit One is the most difficult Eva to control."

Asuka looked tense for a moment, but nodded, and Rei went up the walk to the plug. Asuka looked back tensely as they headed to Unit One's cage. The Eva still bore the scars of the last battle- its mouth hung open, displaying the great blunt teeth within, and its regrown arm was uncovered, gray and fleshy. The shoulder pylons were missing, too.

"You're sure this is safe," said Misato.

"Completely," said Asuka, turning to run up the plug.

She stopped. She turned back, ran to Misato, and hugged her, almost lifting her off the floor. By the time Misato knew what was happening, she'd already let go and embraced Kaji.

"Don't do that," he said, "This isn't goodbye, everybody's coming back."

"Asuka," said Misato. "There's going to be seven Evas coming in, and some kind of _thing_. Be careful up there."

"I'm always careful," she said, rolling her eyes, and ran up the steps.

"There's nothing else we can do here," said Kaji.

Misato nodded, and they turned, and headed back.

* * *

><p>Shinji stood on top of a rolled chopper, gazing up into the sky. He saw them- seven enormous flying wings, flying in a stacked formation, from the west, from the sun. The enormous black craft moved with ominous slowness, great white masses hanging from their underbellies. All around him, the invading soldiers suddenly stopped firing at him, their weapons hanging slack, their mouths falling open. Shinji turned around, just as they turned their weapons on each other and opened fire.<p>

"_No!" _he screamed, leaping among them.

He moved at the speed of thought, moved so fast it bowled men off their feet, so fast it made the air sizzle. He pulled rifles out of hands and folded them together, tossing them aside and moving to the next one, but even then, he was too slow, and he watched bodies fall, ecstatic grins on their faces. His stomach roiled, and he felt an urge to vomit. The survivors stood dazed, staring into space, their eyes blank, empty. He walked among them, waving his hands before their eyes, only to be ignored.

"What the hell?"

He looked back up, and saw the flying wings begin to dip. They angled lower, spreading out, and the fleshy white forms hanging from their underbellies roiled and moved, pulling free of the craft. Their heads emerged first. Long, cetacean things, more snout than face eyeless, and with livid red lips over rows of razor teeth, like shark's teeth. Their arms pulled free next, and each of them clutched a bladed weapon, a kind of long gray sword with a pair of handles fixed in the spine, to be held two handed. They fell backwards and tumbled into the air.

From packs on their backs, great white wings unfolded, not the wings of a bat nor those of a bird but somehow in between, suggestive of feathers. They fell into a lazy circle, seven of them, holding their long blades in both hands under their bodies, waiting for something, anticipating something. The armed men around him, the survivors, began chanting something. Latin, he thought.

He lifted up from the ground. As he did, Unit Two bobbed out of the ground, one-handed, carrying a palette rifle. It moved forward, umbilical trailing, and as it did, Unit One joined it, not attached to the rails by the pylons but simply holding them in its clawed hands. It stepped free of the launch tubes and walked out into the Geofront, gazing up at the opening above and beyond that, the sky where the seven beasts swirled like vultures. They descended.

He saw now that they were marked, numbered from one to seven, and they folded their wings and dove through the crater into the Geofront proper, sweeping out and into a lazy circle around the perimeter of the cavern, moving, it seemed, under their own power. They circled until the last had joined them, and slowly, in perfect unison, tipped their feet downwards and came to skidding landings, their wings folding and nearly vanishing into their backs. Brandishing their weapons, they moved forward, taking short, guarded strides, moving as one, copying each other's movements perfectly. One of them passed him, its eyeless gaze disregarding him.

That was a mistake on its part.

He moved with all his speed, his power, his fury, and he passed straight through the thing's head, emerging from the other side in a fountain of armor plating and dense, almost metallic bones and red gore that spread out in a fan behind him. The creature reeled, swinging its weapon wildly, and it gave forth a strange bellow, a twisting, ululating cry of agony that he could feel in his bones, and it turned on him.

Battle was joined.

Rei moved in Unit Two with warlike precision, every moment clipped, economical, constantly turning her back away from her enemies to avoid exposing her umbilical cable. Shinji had never seen her move so elegantly before. She fired short bursts, blasting open cratered, weeping pock marks in the Eva Series' sides and legs, aiming to cripple their movement. They curled over and circled the two Evas, brandishing their blades. The one marked out as One, the leader, moved in to attack, raising its weapon up and charging across the Geofront floor, its feet sliding in the mud.

Shinji passed between its legs, rose in front of it, and put his hands into his chest. He hooked his feet in the air and pushed, and it did not stop but continued forward, out of control, its feet sliding out from under it. It fell hard, the impact shaking the floor of the Geofront and throwing up a great mass of mud and debris. The blade flew out of its hands.

With almost practiced ease, Asuka caught it, spun it around, and tested its weight in Unit One's hands. She seemed to like it, as she lifted it, spun it, and took its owner's arm off at the shoulder. The limb sheared free in a spray of gore and tumbled across the cavern, standing for a moment on the palm before it toppled with a great thump like a felled tree. One-armed, the thing got up, swinging a closed fist at her, and she impaled it, lifting it bodily from the ground.

Another one came up behind her. Shinji shoulder-checked it away, looked it in the face, and unleashed the fire of a red sun. Its white skin puckered and blackened, and it stumbled backwards, shrieking in agony. Rei turned, put a quick salvo through its head, and shoved it aside with the cauterized stump of her off hand. It rolled across the ground, flailing, kicking wildly with its legs, trying to bury its burning head in the mud, all the while shrieking.

The others, the other five, fell back, hopping on bent legs like birds, strange warbling sounds echoing through the cavern. They held their weapons out and Asuka and Rei moved back to back, the battered purple Eva almost touching the crimson one, and all at once they advanced. Shinji chose one, ducked down, and hugged himself to its ankle, and pulled. It pitched forward, and he could almost feel the stress in the bones of its other leg as it came down hard. Asuka moved, deft and quick, turning the blade in her hands, and neatly cleaned its head from its body. It rolled away, still grinning madly, a thick, too-human tongue lolling over its sharp teeth, bleeding.

The other four continued to move in, feinting with their blades. Rei emptied her gun into the body of one but it ignored her, screeching as it charged. She flipped the palette rifle in the air, caught it by the barrel, and took a swing with it. The stock, a massive construction of steel, split and groaned the long gray blade bit into it. Rei turned the stroke, spun her Eva around, and with her other arm, cracked the creature in the face with a vicious elbow strike. It rolled to the side, but as it did, it wrapped its fingers through her umbilical jack and dragged her down with it.

Shinji flew to her side, landed on the offending arm, and as the creature wailed, buried his hands in its flesh. It was cold and slippery, and he felt its blood pulsing over his arms. He found bones, and, bellowing in fury, pulled. There was a great crack as its hand tore free, hanging at first by slivers of flesh and then by nothing as Rei rolled away.

Another of the Eva series stood some distance away, holding its blade. Shinji would swear it was grinning at him as it swept its blade down and buried the point in the earth, neatly severing Rei's umbilical. As Unit Two grappled with the one on the ground, he charged the other, rocketing across the Geofront to hold it back while Asuka held the other two, parrying and beating back the swings of their blades with her own, the blows ringing out like crashing thunder. He dodged the thing's swing, turning around the blade as it passed, hearing its sharpness making the air sing. He aimed for its chest and then cut up suddenly. The impact crushed its jaws shut, impaling its own lolling tongue on its sharp teeth. It stumbled backwards, losing its grip on the blade, and he turned to pound it with both fists, stripping it from the creature's grasp.

Asuka turned two swings from her opponents, battering them both back at once, and with a scream echoed by Unit One itself that rolled out over the cavern, she spun fully around, holding the blade in one hand, and bisected one of them, neatly slicing through its middle. It stared down at itself in confusion before she recovered, brought the blade back, and impaled the top half on the point, lifting it away from the legs in a stream of gore and guts and wires hanging from its midsection. Its legs stood for a moment, then fell onto their knees and toppled to the side. Asuka turned, Unit One swinging around with the momentum, and hurled the top half of the one Mass Production Eva at the other one, bowling it back.

Rei's opponent had Unit Two pinned, pushed down into the ground. It lifted her by the shoulders and slammed her down over and over, until Shinji turned to it, pressed across the space so fast it made the air behind him blur and glow, and crashed into it at full speed, bowling it over. Rei moved quickly, rolling onto all fours and running for an umbilical station as she blew out the useless jack on her back. She grabbed a fresh one, rammed it into place, and ducked a sweeping punch from the Eva that Shinji disarmed moments before. She struggled with it, and the other moved to join it.

Shinji rocketed past Asuka and pounded the jaw of her opponent with his fists, and she immediately turned and rushed to Rei's side. She took her blade, took a bounding step, and swept it upwards. The sword slashed up through the Mass Production Unit's thigh and bit deep into its chest. Gore gurgled over its teeth and Asuka used the blade embedded in its side to lever it backwards. Rei kicked the other one back, and together they fell on their adversaries. Rei ducked under Asuka's sword swings, slashing with her progressive knife.

Shinji grabbed the third Mass Production Unit by its lips, forced its jaws shut, and turned, burying his fingers in its flesh. He used his whole body, turning it in the air to torque it around and around, spinning it until its feet dragged in the mud. He could feel the bones in its neck grinding. It closed its hands around its own snout, peeling him off, and he pulled back and punched so hard into its hand that he felt the bones within shatter. It screamed and reeled backwards, and he pressed the attack.

As he shoved it into the wall of the Geofront,it threw its head back and wailed. He went for its throat, tearing it into it with his bare hands, screaming as he peeled the slippery white skin away and burned anything he could see until thick black smoke roiled around him. He pushed into it until he met bone and pounded it to powder with his fists, hitting it so hard it simply shattered and the thing's head lolled up it he put his arms up, shoved, and lifted it free of the smoking stump. The creature slid along the wall and landed in a heap as he dropped its head.

The wounded Eva fell back and Asuka chased it, running after it, Unit One bellowing in triumph as she charged. She ran the blade up through its belly, lifted it from the ground, and hurled it into the far wall. The other flailed wildly as Rei held it from behind, her right arm, ending in a stump, wrapped around its neck while she sawed at it with the progressive knife. She ducked back and dipped down as Asuka took a wild, wide swing, and beheaded the thing in a single stroke. The last one of them fell all at once, slamming to the ground with a great crash.

A shadow passed overhead. The sun, streaming through the opening in the roof of the cavern, was blotted out. Shinji looked up and recoiled as he saw the enormous thing falling out of the sky. It was half again as big as any Eva, maybe twice as big, and landed in the city with such a crash that it made the entire roof of the cavern buckle inwards, groaning monstrously. Asuka and Rei moved back, Rei stopping to scoop up one of the gray swords. They backed towards the pyramid as a pair of enormous clawed hands, covered in tumourous, jutting spikes of gray bone, thrust down through the crater, grabbed the edges, and pulled.

The thing's massive barrel chest flexed as it tore the middle of Tokyo-3's blasted remains up by their roots, two long lab slabs of black stone lifting up and falling away by its side with a thunderous crash. It stood in the widened opening, a giant, a leviathan made in mockery of its brothers. Its jaws were massive, the lower jaw jutting out too far beneath the upper, filled with irregular teeth jutting out at all angles, and the rims of its mouth were lined with spikes, giving it the aspect of a lamprey or sea monster, all teeth. Its tongue, huge and blue, lolled out to one side, swinging in the air as it moved. Its body was misshapen, hunchbacked, its chest huge and twisted inwards, like that of a powerful dog, and its legs were short and stunted in comparison to its long arms, heavy and corded with muscle and ridged with sharp spines. It could not fold its wings; they were vestigial, broken looking, and swung uselessly from its back like crests of twisted flesh covered in sharp bone ridges.

It stood on the precipice, threw its enormous head back, and bellowed. Unlike the others, it had eyes, huge bulging eyes, and they were full of rage and hate, and it saw him.

"**YOU."**

He couldn't let it get into the Geofront. He screamed at the top of his lungs, screamed with all his might, so the sound came from everywhere at once.

"_Run!"_

He headed for the _thing_, meaning to catch it in a flying uppercut. He struck true, but it _hurt_, it was like pounding his fists into a brick wall. It rolled backwards, a rumbling sound rolling from deep in its chest, and Shinji came around and hit it again, knocking it back from the hole. It swung at him and he dodged, but it followed through and buried its fist in the ground. The cavern moaned again, and a whole section of the city lifted, strangely, and then folded inwards, falling down inside. It slid down into empty space, falling with agonizing slowness, and a plume of dust rose up out of the opening. He heard that terrible rumbling sound again, and he realized what it was.

It was laughing at him.

He felt the wave of pressure coming as it reached out and simply plucked him from the air. Its great digits folded around him, squeezing the air from his lungs, and he could feel his bones grinding together. It stood and brought him around slowly, holding him before its hateful eyes, too human eyes, and its jaws worked slowly, seemingly unrelated to the words that thundered from its mouth.

"**NOW YOU SEE." **

Shinji tried to say something, tried to push himself free, but it was like nothing he'd ever felt before, pressing him down so hard he couldn't move. He wriggled pointlessly.

"**GET UP."**

It wasn't talking to him. He looked and to his horror he saw one of the Mass Production units stand up, the one Asuka had beheaded first. It picked its head up off the floor of the Geofront and shoved it back in place, twisting it until with a great popping, sloshing sound it took root and the wound sealed itself, the flesh puckering and folding closed. The others were getting up, the one's head still on fire, the other unable to attach the stump to the cauterized wound, simply left its own head lying and advanced, holding its hands out to its side. Rei and Asuka moved together, back to back, covering the connection point for Rei's umbilical.

Shinji struggled with all his might, pushed as hard as he could. It didn't work.

* * *

><p>A rippling boom rolled overhead, and a spreading crack flowed across the roof of Ritsuko's lab. Misato ducked out of the way of a falling streamer of dust and powdered masonry and ducked over to where Ritsuko and Kaji crouched by the door.<p>

"We can't stay here."

"I agree," said Ritsuko. "We have to get to the barracks and move everyone deeper into the installation."

"Do we have any idea what's going on up top?" said Kaji.

Maya shook her head. "Everything is down. The surface power grid is out. We're completely blind."

Kaji tensed. "If we're going to go, let's go before it gets worse."

Ritsuko nodded, and opened the door. Misato went out first, crouching, looking up and down the hall before she motioned the others to follow. Kaji moved beside her, stopping at the junctions of the corridors to look one way while she looked another, while Ritsuko and the technicians brought up the rear. They crept along until they found the stairwell and filtered inside, watching up and down for intruders. Misato relaxed a little, standing up, and jogged down the stairs.

There was another boom, and the world rolled under her feet. Kaji grabbed her and pulled her to the wall to keep her from tumbling down the stairs. They wound down forever into darkness, it seemed. The lights flickered, and she looked up. Far overhead, the top of the stairs, choked with hardened Bakelite, were beginning to crack apart. They had to hurry.

"Come on," she said, "We need to get those people out of the barracks."

Misato pushed through the doors, checked left and right, and ran. The doors to the barracks stood open, guarded by a pair of Section 2 agents. They saw Misato and visibly relaxed, but she kept on running, into the mess hall, and skidded to a stop. There were hundreds of people there- technicians, cage crews, doctors, patients in hospital beds; she saw Hikari in the far corner with her people clustered around her.

Rei walked up to her. Misato blinked.

"We must go. Now," said Rei.

"Where?" said Misato. "The elevators are probably frozen up with bakelite."

"There is an Evangelion shaft that leads into Terminal Dogma. Follow me."

Misato ran a few steps and jumped up on a table. "Everybody listen up!" she shouted, waiting for the crowd's murmurs to die down. "We can't stay here, it's not safe. We're going to move everyone deeper into the complex. Saddle up, and follow me."

Misato moved through the room as everyone broke into action, heading for the hospital beds. As the doctors started pushing them, she made her way to Hikari. The girl was breathing shallowly but she was alive. The Suzahara boy started pushing her bed, and her sister and father joined in, while the kid sister rode at the foot of the bed, looking over the footboard. Misato jogged back to the head of the line, to Rei.

"Let's go."

"It is this way."

Rei led the way through the twisting corridors, never stopping to get her bearings, as if she just knew exactly where to go. The long train of people wove along behind her, and Misato kept looking over her shoulder. She didn't think anyone made it into the base, but she was still tense, looking at ever junction in the corridors for someone to pop out and start shooting.

Rei led them through the empty Evangelion cages, the parade of footsteps yawning in the vast, empty spaces. The metal walkway swayed a little and creaked under the weight of all the people travelling it, and Misato gripped the handrail instinctively. Rei just ignored it, walking at a steady pace, through to the staging area for the launch tubes. Misato seldom came here. Unlike the cages, there wasn't even the false comfort of a sea of LCL to fall into, it was a straight drop from an Evangelion's chest level to the concrete floor, perilously far below. The walkway began to ramp down, and Misato glanced over her shoulder, worried the hospital beds would roll out of control.

There were forty tubes in all, and crossing them would take some time. Rei veered away from them when the long procession hit ground level and started walking to a distant part of the staging area. There was a simple platform at one end, sized for an Eva to stand on it, marked out by hazard stripes. In the few times Misato had been here, she never paid any attention to it.

"Gather everyone on this platform," said Rei. "We will go to Terminal Dogma."

* * *

><p>"<strong>NO HELP. SEE.<strong>"

All seven of them moved now, and for a moment he thought there might be some advantage, but they stopped limping, the one with the severed arm twisted it back onto the stump, and together they moved, only the headless one seeming to have any difficulty at all. Asuka dispatched that one quickly with an upward slice of her sword, and unlike before, she moved and stabbed at its middle with the blade, as if searching for something. Shinji grinned when she saw her spear the Eva's red core with her blade, shattering it, and the thing finally stopped witching.

"**WON'T HELP,**" the hybrid rumbled.

They moved together now with some grim purpose, some intelligence, and Shinji realized that either the presence of the hybrid was making them more intelligent, more capable, or they had simply been stalling for time before. Asuka and Rei could barely hold them back, much less press an advantage, even though there were only six of them now. It was Unit Two that took the first blow. A swing of a sword severed her umbilcal, and while she was distracted with the parry, the Eva without a sword ripped the power station right out of the ground, lifted it overhead, and smashed it. Rei impaled it, slid her blade down, and then up until he hit the core, but it was too late, she was on borrowed time.

And yet, there were only five, now. There was still a chance. Rei made the most of her remaining time. She parried a sword stroke and on the return, sheared off the beast's leg. Knowing it wouldn't keep it down, she raised her sword, turned it, and powered it down into the thing's core. It twitched and flailed and went dead. The remaining four shuddered and fell back, and as they leapt, they took to their wings, or tried to. Asuka sheared one of the wings off and the thing fell, shrieking almost pitiably. She swung her sword in wide arcs, taking it apart, severing its arms and legs before she took the sword in a two handed grip, raised it, and cut the entire body of the thing in half. The blade glanced over the core, so she reached down, plucked it out, and crushed it in her hand.

The hybrid's rumbling laughter was all Shinji could hear.

One of the Eva Series rammed her, rolling over and had her pinned down, but it didn't attack. It just held her while the other two fell on Rei, yanking the sword out of her hand before they spun and severed both of her arms. Shinji slammed against the hybrid's grasp but it wouldn't budge, and he screamed as the two Evangelions picked her up, slammed Unit Two back down, and climbed on top of it, running their lolling tongues over the armor. Tears burned on Shinji's cheeks when he realized what was happening.

Asuka. They were making her watch. He could hear her screaming.

Together, they lifted Unit Two by the shoulders and legs, turned, and grinning at each other, pulled. The Eva bucked and its four eyes flashed, and then all it once it came apart, stretching open in a yawning spray of gore. The Mass Production Evas pulled the two halves apart, tore the entry plug free, and one of them swallowed it, biting in it two chunks before it gulped them down its gullet.

Unit One roared and threw off the Evas pinning it down. Asuka moved with a grim purpose, taking up a sword in either hand, swing them wildly. One of the Evas took a swing at her but she planted the point of one of her blades in the ground and pole vaulted over it, landed behind it, and brought both of her blades together in a scissoring motion, hacking it into pieces. She flailed at it with the blades, cutting it to ribbons as gore and viscera flew around her, and when the core rolled away, Unit One turned its head to face the others and stomped down on it before she charged them.

They were three, but no advantage mattered to them. There was no finesse, or subtlety, or strategy. She dropped her blades as Unit One bellowed in fury and rolled over the middle Eva, pinning into the ground, and with her clawed fingers tore out its innards, hurling them at the other ones until she took the core in her mouth and crushed it in her jaws and leapt at the other ones. They struggled and pulled at her, but she bent their arms at odd angles and twisted them around, smashing them into one another, so consumed with fury that Unit One looked half an animal itself. She ignored the blows from the one while she dismembered the other, ripping its arms off first, then its head, before she plunged her fingers into its neck and split it in half to get at the core.

When she turned to the last one it actually fell back, its mouth pressed closed. It seemed torn between attacking and fleeing as she fell on it, and it screamed as she tore it apart, slowly. She let it thrash in her grip, screamed in rage as she shoved her clawed hand down through its neck, pulled the core loose, and raised it up so the hybrid could see it before she crushed it in her hands.

The hybrid let Shinji go.

It drifted down into the cavern, not falling, but moving under its own power. Shinji pushed against its chest but he could no more hold it back than he could fold back time. It grew annoyed with him and slapped him away, casually striking him harder than anything had ever hit him before, harder than the angel that destroyed headquarters, harder than the angel that fell from the sky. He hit the ground so hard he blacked out for a second, throwing up a plume of mud turned black from the gore that had rained on it in the battle.

The hybrid caught Unit One by the throat and lifted her from her feet.

"No," Shinji pleaded, "No, no please-"

"**NOW,**" the hybrid thundered, "**DIE**."

Shinji felt it, felt the twist as the hybrid bent Unit One's neck to the side. He flew for her, flew to pull Asuka out, to get Unit One of its grasp, to do something, but it flicked him away with a casual swipe of its fingers. He recovered in the air, turned, and began pounding on the side of its head until his fists bled, but it ignored him.

It grabbed Unit One by the neck and the legs, picked her up, and brought her down over its knee. There was a titanic cracking sound, and the Eva went limp. The hybrid twisted her back and forth in its hands, turning the body, shearing off armor and snapping bones, its rumbling laugh like thunder. It pulled her overhead, put its hands over the armor plating protecting the entry plug, and crushed down with its fingers as it lifted the Eva up and hurled her into the wall.

Shinji followed, rocketing after it. He tried to slow it down, but it was too big, turned to quickly, and together they hit the wall. Unit One's limp form rolled down the slope of the wall and came to rest, back up. He crawled over the back, ran to the twisted section of armor plating, and started stripping them free. He yanked on the emergency release but it was dead, frozen, so he had to pull them all off individual, tossing them over his shoulder. He pulled them all loose and then the armature that actuated the plug and then the plug itself. It stuck halfway, bent in the middle and bleeding LCL like blood. He put his fingers in the rent in the outer shell and tore it open.

Asuka was lying motionless in the chair, her head hanging, her eyes half open. He scooped her up and carried her out into the sun. She was like him, now, all she needed was sun and she would be arlight, he knew it, he _knew it, _and he ran out into the light and sank to his knees, her motionless form cradled across his lap. He held her head in his hands and rocked her, moaning.

"Wake up," he pleaded, "Please, please wake up, Asuka please…"

Always there was light, so much light in living things, but there was none here. All the light in Asuka had gone out. The world blurred with the tears in his eyes as he cradled her unmoving form to his body, rocking, shaking, pleading in a harsh whisper for a relief that would never come.

"You can't be dead," he whispered, "You can't be dead."

Nothing. Her eyes were unmoving, empty, fixed on some point he couldn't see, her chest frozen, her skin already turned pale, the life draining from it. He sobbed and curled against the ground with her, even as the hybrid roared and began digging, pounding its hands into the ground and pulling out great rolling mountains of mud. It reared up, grabbed the pyramid, and tore it out by the roots. The structure lifted, folded, and collapsed in on itself with a thundering crash of breaking beams and shattering glass, and spread out through the mud as the hybrid shoved it away.

"Come back," he moaned, "I'll do anything. Please _come back._"

"Anything?"

Shinji looked up. Gendo walked around the edge of the crater where he'd fallen, the box with the Kryptonite held in one hand. He looked over at the hybrid and walked down into the mud pit where Shinji held Asuka's body, and in instinct he crushed his body to himself, cradling her head, and try as he might, he couldn't stop sobbing.

"At last," said Gendo, "we understand each other."

"What do you know," Shinji sobbed, "You never cared for anyone but yourself."

"Every day since your mother left has been this moment, stretched from minutes into hours into days into years. Not a day goes by that I don't look to the heavens and say 'I'll do anything', and no one listens."

Shinji didn't say anything. He wept.

"I don't have much time." said Gendo.

"I can't stop it."

"No," said Gendo, "I suppose not, but this can."

In his hand, he held the fist-sized box. Shinji didn't need to look to see that it was lined with lead.

Kryptonite.

"Give it to me," said Shinji. "I'll do it."

"Not this time. I must have words with the Chairman."

Gendo was staring at the sky. A syringe slipped out of his hand.

"Is this how you see it?"

Shinji looked at him, and looked up at the sky. It was all there, and even if humanity died that day, would still be there. He saw the glitter of a perpetual aurora off the ionosphere, saw a thousand colors for which man had no name. He saw the infinite pallete of the universe spread out over his head, but without he knew that without one particular shade of red it would be forever empty, without one voice calling him an idiot it would be forever silent, without one soft, warm touch he would be forever cold.

Gendo smiled a wan smile, and looked at the box in his hand. "Goodbye, Shinji. I am sorry."

Gendo took three steps, and he flew. Shinji watched him. He flew, and the hybrid paid him no mind, busy about its task, digging through the wreckage. He blinked away the tears as Gendo finally neared it. The thing lifted up, watching him approach, and that terrible rumbling laugher rolled across the Geofront, washing over him, renewing his sobs. Gendo didn't attack it, didn't punch or strike it, didn't even stop. Instead, he picked up speed, and as he passed into the mouth of the beast, Shinji saw a tiny flash of green.

The hybrid reared up, and screamed. It stood to its full height, clawing at its throat, digging gouges in its own flesh that ran with blood not red, but sickly, snotty green. It stumbled to the side, falling on its arm, and did not wail, but gurgle. It pounded the cavern floor with its fists, twisted, raged at the heavens, and snarled, bellowed, snorted like a dying animal. Shinji rocked Asuka's limp form as he watched.

"**NOT NOW**", it coughed, "**CLOSE! CLOSE! **_**MINE!**_"

The hybrid thrashed wildly, rising, as veins of green painted themselves across its body, boiling under its slick white skin. It made horrid sounds, sloshing and slurping and tearing, and began pulling at its own mouth, ripping away its teeth as it tried to shove its own hand down its throat. It reared back, pulling its arm out in a spray of foaming gore, coughing so hard it wracked its massive body and made it double over, clawing at its belly. It turned and moved back towards the pyramid and its legs folded under it, and it fell.

It coughed, and it sputtered, and it fell to one side, listing, its eyes staring. It started clawing its way across the mud towards Shinji, but as it raised its arm one last time, it fell limp, splashing in the mud. There was a great settling sound, a noise like a thick liquid sliding into an empty vessel, and the creature coughed out a great gout of sickly green blood that spread around its head in a fan. There was a light in its eyes, for a time, and then it went out.

Holding Asuka tight, Shinji leaned back against Unit One's broken body, closed his eyes, and wept bitter tears.

* * *

><p>The shaft dove all the way down to the secret core of the installation, far, far above the surface, in a cave within a cave. It was slow going, as there was a locking system, a series of massive blast doors, that held back their progress. Rei occasionally looked up, just as a thunderous vibration rolled down the shaft, and there was a massive crashing sound. Something hit one of the upper blast doors, and from the hollow booming sound that followed, collapsed it.<p>

Misato looked up, too, and looked around. The elevator platform was cramped. There was barely enough room for everyone, and other than herself, everyone shied away from Rei, watching her as if she were some secret, suspicious thing. She paid no attention, simply gazing upwards, occasionally peering at Misato from the corner of her eye.

"How much longer?" said Misato.

"Not long. We should be out of danger now. I must get to Terminal Dogma."

"I know," said Misato.

The elevator stopped. There was no door at the bottom, simply an Eva-sized opening, and everyone huddled back from the edge of the platform as the far wall opened and the platform made its final hissing, bouncing descent. An Eva would have had to hunch to make it through the tunnel that led away into the darkness, but it was tall enough. Rei made her way through the crowd and started walking, and Misato followed her, motioning for the others to stay behind. She leaned her rifle on the wall. Kaji followed.

Rei walked in silence through the tunnel, until it began to widen. "You do not need to see this."

"Yes, I do," said Misato.

They were there, the rest of her, standing on the black stone shore in a loose semicircle, watching the distant white giant as if they expected it to move. They turned to Misato, briefly acknowledged her presence, and turned back as the Rei she was following moved between them and stood on the shore, so that the sea of blood lapped up on her bare toes. She turned back to Misato.

"It is time. I must go."

"What's going to happen? Instrumentality? What?"

"Be not afraid," said Rei.

"I _am_ afraid."

"The dissolution of discrete forms is inevitable," said Rei.

Misato slumped against Kaji. "I can't stop this, can I?"

Rei smiled a soft smile. "Inevitable does not mean immediate."

"I don't understand."

"You will, one day. Not yet."

Kaji took her hand, but said nothing.

Rei rose up, holding her arms out at her sides, and the others joined her, their feet dangling beneath them as they lifted off from the ground and moved forward through the air, their pale skin and white suits reflecting like ghosts in the red sea. A wake moved beneath them as they crossed, and the giant on the cross shuddered leaning forward to take them. They struck its flesh like rain, and it rippled like water, flowing and moving. It shifted, and the bolts that held it to the cross slid through its hands.

It fell forward, onto its hands and knees, and with one pudgy hand pulled away the mask over its face. There was light, so much light, and that pale flesh was alive, writhing and rippling, reshaping itself. When it looked up, Misato saw the eyes of Rei Ayanami staring back at her, magnified ten thousand fold. The blazing titan stood, wreathed in light and color, and Misato saw something in it, something familiar.

* * *

><p>He sat up and opened his eyes. He felt something, a tug. Something was happening. He saw light, so much light, moving towards him. He had to close his eyes, to squint to see it, until it lessened of its own accord. Rei walked across the mud towards him but her feet did not touch the ground. Her hair was silver, and her irises a deep crimson, so dark it was almost black. The light was inside her and around her, the light of life.<p>

"Please," he whispered, "Help her."

Rei moved to his side and knelt, touching Asuka's forehead with her fingers.

"The light is almost out," she whispered, "but not yet."

She moved her hand to Asuka's chest, and rested it on the surface of her plugsuit. Rei looked at Shinji, smiling beautifully, and with her other hand, touched his cheek.

"Be not afraid," she said.

"Rei?" said Shinji. "Are you going to help her?"

"I am not Rei."

Shinji straightened. "Are you Lilith?"

"I was," she said, "but now I am more. I am all that was Rei, and all that was Lilith, and together we are more than the sum of our parts. I am in all times, and in all places. I am there when you are born to breathe the first breath into your lungs, and I am there when you pass on, to take your light and keep it. I have been waiting for all of time for this moment when I can be born safely, to begin my work."

"I don't understand," said Shinji.

"Shh," she said, "Watch."

Her hand sank into Asuka's chest to the wrist. Shinji stiffened, his breath caught, and Asuka bucked in his grasp, her body writing, her eyes flying open wide, staring. Rei drew her hand back and light, the pure light of life, of _being, _erupted from Asuka's chest and spread through her body, flowing through her veins, pulsing through her skin and wreathing her. She sat up, took a deep, drawing breath, and fell against his chest, at that moment collapsing into a deep sleep.

Rei stroked her hair, smiling warmly. "She lives."

Shinji held her, resting his chin on her head, and whispered thanks again and again.

He looked at the hybrid, looked at the desolation around him. Everything was ruined, destroyed. The city above him was groaning, pounded into destruction, but still, he felt the warmth of Asuka's breath on his shoulder, and he could help but smile.

"What about the others?"

"You'll see," said Rei, as she stood. "I must go."

"Why?"

"I have so much work to do, and so do you. The old men of the world brought this upon themselves through their arrogance and despair, but they are the men of yesterday, and you are the man of tomorrow."

And just like that, she was gone.

"Shinji?" Asuka whispered.

"I'm here," he said, pulling his cape around her, for all the good it did, caked in mud.

"I saw them," she breathed, "I saw them all." Tears streamed from her eyes. "I saw Mama, and I saw your mother, and _Fuyutsuki¸_ and… and _your father._ They were all there, Shinji. _Everybody _was there. What happened?"

"It's complicated," said Shinji, letting his head fall against the armor plate at his back.

She sat up. "Wait," she said, "I was supposed to tell you something, I remember I…"

"It's okay," he said, "We'll see them again."

Asuka fell against his side, and closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep. All things considered, he decided it was a good idea, and joined her.

* * *

><p>Rei opened her eyes. She lay curled in the fetal position on a bed, covered in a thin blanket. She unconsciously clutched it to her chest as she sat up, looking around the room. The space was familiar to her, but she did not know why, not until her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she saw the markings on the walls. Some had left a school uniform folded on a nearby table. She looked around, slid off the bed, and shivered. It was cold, and the floor was freezing, trying to suck out all the heat in her body through her toes. She hurried to dress, pulling on the shirt and lifting the jumper over her head, and was glad to slip her feet into a pair of shoes.<p>

She walked into the lab, and was unnerved by the silence. The clone tank was empty, and dark, and the liquid inside still, the churning air filtration system shut down. All of the consoles were off, and the only source of light was a blinking light on one of the computers, bathing the room every other moment in an eerie red. She passed through it, hugging herself.

"Is anyone here?"

There was no answer. She hurried through the lab. The elevator to Terminal Dogma was standing open, so she walked inside, pushed the button, and crowded herself into the corner, waiting as it descended in the darkness. When it opened, she walked into the tunnel, peeking over her shoulder as she walked, still clutching herself against the cold. She heard muffled talking in the distance and headed towards it, towards the shore of the great primordial sea.

Misato and Mister Kaji was sitting on the shore together, staring up at the empty red cross. Rei stole up behind them quietly, unsure of what to do, what to say. Misato lifted her head and turned slightly, and blinked in surprise.

"Who… _Rei? _Is that you?"

"Yes?" Rei said quietly. "I feel strange. What has happened to me?"

They got up and walked towards her. She reached out and brushed Rei's hair with her fingers, holding it before her eyes. It was a rich shade of chestnut brown, soft and shining. Rei stepped back, confused, shivering. She looked in a panic. She felt so small, so _singular. _

"It's okay," Misato said softly, taking her by the shoulders. "It's okay."

She pulled Rei into an embrace, and Rei hugged her back sharply. She was warm and soft and Rei _needed _it, needed to be touched in a way she never had before. She felt so alone.

"Come on," said Kaji, "We have to figure out a way to get back to the surface."

Misato draped her jacket around Rei's shoulders and they walked together, away from the bloody sea to the Evangelion access shaft that led upwards. People stared at her as Misato led her along, towards the elevator platform. Ritsuko was working at the far end, fiddling with a control panel she'd pulled apart, striking the wires against one another, while Maya sat beside her with a portable console.

"I've almost got it," said Ritsuko, "I… what the hell_?" _

Misato burst out laughing. "Does anybody have a mirror?"

Rei recognized Hikari Horaki's older sister, Kodama, fishing in her purse. Had they met? She couldn't remember speaking with her, but knew her anyway. She handed Misato a makeup compact and Misato unfolded it before Rei's eyes.

She touched her cheek. There was so much _color_ in it. Her eyes were different, too, her irises a deep green, like moss. Her hair was disheveled, all out of place, and a rich, thick chestnut color. She ran her fingers through it, watching it fall and shift in front of her face, and looked around, confused.

"I look different," she observed.

"Yes," said Misato, "You look different. Rits, what's the word on getting us the hell out of here?"

"Working on it," Ritsuko grunted, running a wire from the console to Maya's portable. "There, I think I got it."

* * *

><p>When Shinji woke up, Asuka was on her feet. She was running her hands along the battered and bent armor on Unit One's back, and her eyes were wet with tears. Shinji moved up beside her, looking at the wreckage of the machine. All the life had gone out of it, lying on its side in the mud, and it looked like so much old weaponry. The armor was so torn up that the servos and struts and support systems for the Eva's muscles were visible underneath it, and wires were strewn everywhere, sparking.<p>

"No more Evas," said Asuka.

"No more Evas," said Shinji. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, "I think I'll be okay."

He turned, and saw a helicopter fly down into the cavern, and then another, and another. Asuka moved to his side and took his hand, and they walked up out of the crater Unit One had made when she fell, and trudged along through the mud, leaving footprints behind them that made tiny pools. The helicopters were landing a tight circle, and men in camouflage uniforms were leaping out. Shinji tensed, but Asuka pulled him forward by the hand.

A clean-shaven man doffed his helmet and jogged towards them, a rifle slung over his shoulder. He saluted crisply. Shinji awkwardly returned it, and then look at his hand for a moment before moving it back to his side. He suddenly wished he had pockets.

"Superman?"

"Yes," Shinji sighed.

"What happened down here?"

"We saved the world," said Asuka. "Who are you, again?"

"Oh. Lieutenant James Anderson, United States Marine Corps, attached the United Nations Sixth Fleet. We received a distress call about two hours ago."

Shinji looked up at the sky. "Who are they?"

"Russians," said Anderson, looking back over his shoulder. "You should hear them, they made up a song about the day you saved the _Kirov _from sinking. I have no idea what the hell they're saying."

"Well, Lieutenant," said Shinji. "We could use your help."

"Anything you need, sir," he stammered, "It's an honor, sir."

"Do us a favor, and wait here," said Asuka, turning. She pulled Shinji along behind her, leaving the Marine to give them an odd look.

When he thought Shinji was out of earshot he said, "He's just a _kid."_

They walked along together. The Geofront was in ruins, utterly destroyed. Headquarters was a smoking hulk, a collection of beams and shattered glass spread out across the vast plain of mud that now made up the floor of the cavern.

"It's all gone," said Asuka.

"No," said Shinji, "Not all of it."

Misato and Kaji emerged from a hatch not far from the entrance to the hospital. Shinji and Asuka ran to meet them, skidding to a stop where the mud ended and the broken asphalt began. Asuka scraped the soles of her plugsuit's feet on the broken surface to clean the sludge away.

"Did we make it?" said Misato.

"Yes," said Shinji, "we made it."

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<em>

**Last Child of Krypton: Redux**

_Chapter Eighteen: A New Heaven, and a New Earth_


	19. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

**S**

* * *

><p>Misato was so nervous she thought she might throw up. She paced around the inside of the tent, feeling sweaty and stuffy in her suit jacket and skirt, and looked in the mirror again and again to check her hair. Ritsuko, leaning casually over the back of her folding chair, looked at her and smirked.<p>

"You look fine. Calm down."

"I don't look fine," said Misato, plucking at the collar of her jacket. "Why is it so damned hot in here?"

Ritsuko snorted. "It's not, it's you. It's cooler than it has been in months."

"This is ridiculous," said Misato. "I don't see why we have to have a stupid ceremony."

"You're just scared to talk in front of a crowd," said Ritsuko.

"I could use a cigarette."

Ritsuko smirked. "I quit."

"Everyone is so boring now," Misato mused. She stood by the door, waiting for the cue.

Ritsuko pulled on her labcoat and stood behind her, shuffling her feet. She fiddled her hair- she'd now grown a long, dark ponytail that hung down past her collar- and adjusted her glasses. "You mean professional. We're on our own, now. Time to grow up."

"I am grown up," said Misato.

"We'll see."

"You're as freaked out as I am," Misato huffed.

"Maybe, but needling you is always amusing."

"Everybody ready?" said Kaji, from outside the tent. "I opening the flap."

Ritsuko snorted. Kaji pulled the tent flap aside and ducked his head under it. He looked Misato up and down and lifted an eyebrow. She stuck her tongue out at him, and Ritsuko chuckled softly to herself. Kaji managed to look professional himself- he could almost be called dapper in his dark suit. He held the flap while Misato and Ritsuko emerged, and fell in behind them as they walked towards the pavilion.

The sun was beating down through the open roof of the Geofront. The biggest hurdle in the resconstruction effort was in stripping the old city away- much of it had simply been burned to the ground, scorched away, and after the pounding the roof of the cavern took, there was no way to repair it. With the Geofront itself essentially unoccupied, there was no choice but to blast away small sections and clear them up as they fell until the entire floor was open to the sky. It was an engineering feat on a scale with the initial construction of Nerv headquarters itself, and it was only the beginning.

Since the demolition effort ended, plant life had begun to reclaim the fertile soil. In fact, plants thrived in the Geofront, springing from every square inch of the rich, black earth. It was a constant battle to keep the growth back from the construction site. It made the air heavy and humid, and the wind carried the strong scent of flowers and foliage. Misato breathed it in deeply as she saw the stage that had been set up out in front of the work camp where construction would begin. The Secretary General and Prime Minister were already up on the stage waiting for her. Ritsuko and Kaji followed as she jogged up the stairs, and took up positions behind her.

She had some note cards in her pocket, but the speech was short and sweet- she had Shinji write it for her, of course. She walked up to the podium and put her hands on the side, gripping the slick, polished black wood as if she needed it to keep from being flung off the earth. There was a sea of faces in front of her, stretching out in the bright sunlight, and she was distracted for a moment.

Kaji cleared his throat.

"Good morning," said Misato. "As the newly appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Institute for Human Advancement, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Institute's new facilities, on the site of the former headquarters of Nerv."

She looked around. No one was booing. So far, so good.

"There are no adequate words to tally the sacrifice, loss, and suffering that led up to this moment. We must take time to look back on the long chain of events that led us here. Anything I might say pales in comparison to the blood that has soaked this ground. We stand here today in remembrance of the lives lost in Second Impact and in the angel war, of the sacrifices and simple mistakes that we have made."

She lowered her head for the moment of silence. She heard cicadas buzzing in the background.

"We owe it to those we've lost to move forward. For too long, the most brilliant minds of the human race have been forced to turn their talents towards implements of war and destruction while the world slowly wastes away. Today we take the first steps on a new path. The promise of science and understanding will no longer be used to end lives but to save lives, to feed the hungry, heal the sick, make whole the maimed. In this place the last fortress of mankind will be reborn into a gleaming icon for the future, a shining city on a hill, a metropolis. By the authority vested in me by the United Nations and the government of Japan, I am proud to turn the first load of soil and begin marking the foundation of the future."

She took a deep breath, walked over to the government delegation and accepted the golden shovel from Nakashima. It wasn't really gold, of course, but it was shiny enough. Misato jogged down the steps, moved to the square of plain black soil marked out by tape, and planed the shovel. She turned it up, and a small pile of earth formed, almost in the shape of a pyramid.

She looked up and nodded at the applause, mouthing "Thank you," until the clapping died down.

"Enough of this crap," Ritsuko said as Misato got back onto the stage, "We have work to do."

* * *

><p>Kaji could barely contain his excitement. So much sacrifice and heartache, and he was finally here, standing in the office of Keel himself, the Chairman of the Human Instrumentality Committee and the head of Seele. The place had a sepulchral air to it, like a tomb, and that felt entirely appropriate. It had probably been elegant once, but a team of investigators under Kaji's direction were going through it with a fine toothed comb. He'd spent a full week sweeping for bombs and traps, and was surprised to discover nothing. Keel was probably so sure of himself that he hadn't bothered, knowing he either be dead or God, probably not figuring on being one and then the other.<p>

Kaji moved through the room in a clean suit, with a dust mask over his face. The office was huge, big enough to hold a good sized house, and the far wall was all glass, open to the sunrise. The walls were lined with an impressive and expensive collection of books, now being picked through by his investigative team. With half of the books missing, they looked like an old man's mouth, full of gaps and rotten teeth. The old bastard had a fine collection of art, as well. Set in alcoves around the office were a number of originals. He had a particular interest in Blake, including both of compositions of the Great Red Dragon, presumably rescued when the original museums that held them were burned or inundated in Second Impact.

Keel's desk, Kaji saved for himself. It had been pushed to the side of the room, not by his team but Keel's own people, when he was moved from his mechanical chair to a complex mobile hospital bed that kept his failing body alive. The scuff marks from the wheels were still visible in the ancient looking hardwood floor. The desk was pushed up against a row of bookshelves. As Kaji looked over the books, he realized they were all Bibles of varying age and provenance, and in a dozen languages. The disconnect between Keels' motives and his fascination for the esoteric bothered Kaji. There was something wrong about it.

The desk itself was big enough for three. Keel never had a personal computer, and it was still scattered with papers. Carefully, Kaji began picking up each page with a pair of tweezers to look it over, while a technician held open a plastic baggie for it. It would all be catalogued, run through cryptanalysis, and stored. Even a seemingly mundane document could hold some sort of code or hidden message, and every care had to be taken. If there was no code, it was all stunningly boring. Keel seemed to have a fixation on Nerv's budget, demanding detailed reports on everything. Kaji blinked in surprise when he realized that Keel was keeping some kind of notes on Misato's uniform allowance.

Once the top of the desk was cleared, there was only an antique banker's lamp and a telephone, an old style rotary phone with an ornate receiver and cradle that was actually wired to the wall by a long, gilded cable. Handling it, Kaji could tell from the feel of the materials and the weight that it, too, was a genuine antique. For a man who had himself mashed into a monstrous half-alien cyborg shortly before his death, and who depended so much on technology for every part of his life, Keel seemed to have little affection for gadgets. He started going through the drawers, only to find more mundane junk. The file drawers held more budget reports, a list of contacts Kaji already knew of, and the one on the left was filled with ancient, crumbling candy wrappers and a pile of thoroughly used cotton swabs stuffed into an old coffee mug. Kaji held that gingerly, dropping it into an evidence bag.

He took a step back from the desk, sighed deeply, and looked out the window. Then, the phone rang.

Everyone in the room tensed, and there was silence. The phone continued to ring. Kaji pulled his mask down, walked to the desk, and gingerly lifted the receiver, not quite touching it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"You will find nothing of value here, _Inspector_."

The line went dead.

* * *

><p>Asuka woke up, to discover she was sleeping above the covers.<p>

Four _feet _above the covers.

She'd gone to sleep beside Shinji more out of habit than anything. In fact, she'd almost forgotten what it was like to _be_ tired. She could work on her thesis and clean the tiny apartment she shared with Shinji and catch bullets out of the air with her bare hands for days and not even feel a wisp of fatigue, or even get hungry. She could run so fast all she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears, and she could jump up to the balcony of their fourth floor apartment. It was all incredible, but the one thing she dreamed of most never seemed to happen, no matter how easily it came to Shinji.

"Shinji!" she screamed, "Help!"

Shinji woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. His hair was a fright, sticking straight up from his head, and he given up on wearing shirts when they slept together, since she had a habit of ripping them off of him in her sleep. He rubbed his head, looked around in confusion, and then his eyes slowly swept up.

A wicked smile slowly spread across his face. He reached up and poked her hip, and she drifted slowly away, flailing.

"How do I stop this?"

He shrugged. "I really don't know. I just do it."

"Oh," she snapped, "That's just fantastic. I have to meet with my academic adviser today. How am I supposed to explain this?"

Shinji folded his arms on his knees and looked up at her. "You know how I flew the first time?"

"I have a feeling I'm going to find out whether I want to or not."

He pushed the blankets from his legs and hovered up beside her, turning on his side. "I slipped in mud and fell off a cliff."

"That sounds like you," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

She yelped as, unbidden, her feet drifted down. She put her arms out to her sides as if trying to balance herself on a narrow ledge. She promptly rose up and thumped her head on the ceiling. She scowled at the offending architecture and pushed herself back down. Her toes touched the carpeting, but she immediately started to turn and yelped, pulling her shirt to her belly as she gradually rotated head over heels.

"Any time!" she said, scowling.

"This is going to take all day," said Shinji.

He took her by the waistband of her sleeping shorts and walked to the narrow window that looked out over their small balcony. A bird lighted on the ledge, quorked, and flapped off into the sky. Shinji looked at her, looked at the window, and slid it open.

"Don't you _dare."_

He grinned at her, took her by the ankle, and pulled her out the window.

"Hey!" she shouted, "Don't-"

He pulled her out over the street and let go. She took one look at the ground and immediately rocketed upwards, spinning wildly, flailing her arms in all directions. The world shrank with stunning speed, and the harder she flailed trying to stop, the faster she went. Shinji slid up beside her, his hands folded behind his head and his legs crossed, watching her. She slowed in her strugglings, and finally came a slow, almost upside-down hover.

"I'm getting a headache."

"No you aren't."

"I'm getting a headache in principle," she snapped. "_That _kind of headache."

"Okay," he sighed. "Where do you want to go?"

"Down!"

"Close your eyes."

She closed her eyes, half expecting him to pull something on her, and drifted to the side, without meaning to. He kept his voice even and calm.

"Remember how to swim?"

"Of course I remember how to swim."

"Good," he said. "Now, think about swimming. When you swim, do you think about every movement in your arm? Curling your fingers to paddled the water, or do you just do it?"

"I just do it."

"So do that. Keep your eyes closed. You're already facing down, just move forward."

She took a deep breath, as if she stood on a diving board, and just focused on moving foward. She put her arms out almost instinctively, and her heart leapt as she felt herself gathering momentum. Shinji tapped her on the shoulder.

"You should probably open your eyes now."

She opened them, saw the ground rushing up at her, and screamed. She folded her arms in front of her face and blinked her eyes shut again, turning her head away. She could almost feel the ground under her, and when she opened her eyes again, she was only inches away. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and very slowly, turned herself upright, and lowered her feet onto the ground. She stood there, looking around, glad that no one seemed to be around to see them. It was still early morning, a few minutes after sunrise.

"Now," he said, "try it with your eyes open this time."

She nodded, took a breath, and looked up.

She flew.

"I can fly!" she shouted as she rocketed into the air, arms at her sides.

She turned and did a lazy, clumsy loop in the air, and then a figure eight, whirling higher and higher, spinning in wider circles. Shinji followed her, lying on his back, arms folded over his chest. He looked unimpressed, or was trying to, but smiled a secret smile to himself. Asuka charged at him, and he yelped as he slid out of the way. She hooked a tight turn around him in the air until she pressed against his back, threw her arms around his chest, and kissed his cheek.

"Catch me if you can," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Hikari felt the heavy weight of anesthesia settled on her as she woke up, and by now it was an old friend. She let her eyes adjust to the light, and it took her a moment to realize that she could see from both of her eyes. A hand reached over her head and swung the light away, and Ritsuko pushed the button to raise up the back of the bed. She touched Hikari's chin, tilting her head to the side, singing softly to herself as she admired her handiwork. A small green circle traced around Hikari's sight, settled on the scientist, and on the left side of her vision, a scrolling readout of biometric data appeared.<p>

"You gave me a heads up display," Hikari croaked. "Cool."

Ritsuko smiled. "I thought you'd like that. How does it feel?"

"Itchy," said Hikari. "I'm thirsty."

"Of course," Ritsuko said absently, fetching her a drink from the table. "The itching should go away after a while. I need to run some tests."

Hikari nodded and sat up. Ritsuko held up a pen. "Follow this with your eyes, please."

She moved the pen around, and Hikari swiveled her gaze around to trace it. Ritsuko nodded and smiled warmly, then slipped it back into her coat.

"Really itchy," said Hikari.

"Ready to get up?"

"I think so."

Ritsuko grasped the side bar of the bed and lowered it out of the way. Hikari looked down and flexed her left hand in front of her face. The complex system of joints and tiny motors worked at her command, as deftly as her own fingers. As she looked at it, a readout on its functions appeared in her eye.

"Wow," she said.

"This is only the first version of the eye," said Ritsuko. "If you're willing, we can make improvements. I already had some ideas drawn up."

"Okay," said Hikari, leaning to the side as she swung her mechanical leg out. Her metallic heel clicked on the floor as she stood up.

"I need to rubberize the soles," Ritsuko said, absently.

"I'm right here," Hikari grumbled.

"Sorry."

Hikari smiled. "How does it look?"

Ritsuko picked a mirror up from the side table and handed it to her. Hikari sucked in a breath, her stomach clenching at the thought of what she might see. She was prepared for the scars. They'd been minimized into a few small, barely noticeable creases in her skin around her eye and along her jawline. Her right eye was as brown as ever, but her left eye was a pale, almost slivery off-white, unmarked by veins, and the iris was silver. If she looked carefully, she could see tiny bits of machinery moving as it focused and unfocused.

Without warning, the mirror tripled in size, and she nearly dropped it.

"Zoom function," said Ritsuko.

"You could have told me!"

"Discovery is half the fun."

Hikari blew her hair out of her eyes and took a few steps. She was already used to the leg, but she'd also gotten used to having no depth perception, and constantly having to turn her head if she wanted to look to her left. She held her hands out to balanced herself, perpetually tilting a little too far forward to balance the battery pack on her back. The first one had been boxy and bulky but the new version spread the weight out much more evenly, enough that it was barely noticeable if she wore the right clothing. Rituko crossed her legs and admired her handiwork as Hikari walked around.

"It works," said Hikari.

"Excellent," said Ritsuko. "Let's get you dressed and we can get you home."

* * *

><p>Ritsuko blew her hair out of her eyes as she sat up from the microscope. Sometime during the day, or maybe the evening, she wasn't quite sure what time it was, her hair had started to slip. She pulled loose the rubber band that held her ponytail, flopped it on the desk, and set about gathering her hair back up. She worked it back through the band, shook her head, and saw Kaji reflected in the glass in front of her. She nearly jumped out of her skin, whirled on him, and made to throw a coffee cup.<p>

"Stop _doing_ that!"

"Sorry," said Kaji. "How's it going on our little project?"

Ritsuko motioned him forward, then hit the switch on her lab bench to close the door. "It's going poorly, but I think I have an idea of what we're dealing with."

"Anything helps."

"Follow me," she said, standing.

Beyond the main lab, Ritsuko kept a smaller, private lab, for work she wanted to keep away from the other technicians and scientists, usually for their own safety. In this case, it was for secrecy's sake. She didn't want anyone know what she knew or show she knew it. She had the major components of the helmet she'd removed from the lone survivor of the attack spread out on a metal tray. It had taken her weeks to strip everything out of the helmet itself. She locked the door behind her and pulled out the tray for Kaji to see.

She pulled a pen from her pocket and pointed to the device. "I can't get much out of the central processing unit. Unfortunately, when Shinji disabled it, he also prevented me from learning anything about the signal or who was transmitting it, but there was definitely someone else sending signals to this device."

"What does it do, exactly?"

"You know how the A-10 clips worked?"

"Not exactly."

"They stimulated a particular set of nerve clusters in the pilot's brains. The way our clips worked was a back and forth connection. The clips connected the brain of the pilot to the Eva's body through a form of quantum entanglement. There's a lot of applied metaphysics involved in the latter part, I'll spare you."

"So what does this thing do?"

"Something similar, but cruder, probably for simplicity's sake." She touched the clips that dangled from wires attached to the body of the device. "These were wired directly into the subject's skull for a direct interface with the brain. They enabled whoever was transmitting the signals to this box to make the person attached to the device feel a particular way."

"Mind control," said Kaji.

"Exactly," said Ritsuko, as she slipped her pen back in her pocket. "Wire people up with these things and they'll believe whatever they tell you, hate your enemies, love your friends."

Kaji scratched his chin. "Sounds sophisticated. Cutting edge stuff?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "No, the basis for this tech is over forty years old. There was an American scientist named Jervis Tetch who developed the theory behind it and experimented on mice and rats. It was an extension of Skinner's methods at first, but he quickly realized how sophisticated the system could become."

"You'd think that would be nobel prize material," said Kaji. "Why haven't I ever heard of him?"

"Because he also tested it on humans. He wired up a few thugs and formed a gang of sorts, and most importantly, he used a prototype wireless version on a student of his, a girl. She resisted it, but it destroyed her mind in the process, left her in a coma. Tetch spent the rest of his life in an insane asylum thinking he was a character from some old book."

Kaji paced around the room. "Yet, here it is, today, being used on people."

Ritsuko sat down and folded her hands on top of her knees. "The only people in the world who had access to this technology, was Nerv."

"Yes," said Kaji, "but where did we get it?"

Ritsuko shrugged. "I don't know. I never put much thought into it, really. The kinks in the nerve clips had already been worked out by the time I started my work. I already thought about it, it's a dead end. It's like they just appeared."

"I don't think this is over," said Kaji. "When I was cleaning out Keel's house, someone called me, on his private line, and told me I was wasting my time. There's someone else behind Seele."

Ritsuko felt cold, and unconsciously mimed the action of holding a cigarette. "You never mentioned that before."

"There'd be no point. I'm officially under Misato's jurisdiction as security advisor now, and my investigation team was disbanded. I never found out how or why."

"What are you going to do?"

He leaned on the counter. "That's why I wanted to see you. I'm going to start looking into this on my own, off the books. I need equipment, resources, assistance and I want you to hide it in your budget."

"What kind of equipment?"

"My old climbing harness and pistol isn't going to cut it."

Ritsuko shook her head. "I don't design weapons. Never again."

"No weapons," said Kaji. "Everything will be nonlethal. Death is too easy for these people. I want _justice._"

Ritsuko pulled her glasses off. "Have you talked to Misato about this?"

"No."

She stood up. "You can't do that to her. Not after everything that's happened. She deserves to know."

"She'll try to stop me."

"She'd be right. You don't have to do this on your own. You have Superman on speed dial."

"The kids have suffered enough, we-"

Ritsuko crossed her arms. "The kids can see gamma radiation. I think Shinji may be able to achieve superluminal speeds under his own power if his abilities keep increasing. There are others, too."

"Who?" said Kaji.

"Hikari," said Ritsuko. "I've been working on a suit, it would armor her vitals and give her strength in her natural limbs equal to her prosthetics."

Kaji's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"It was her idea. I'm working on others, too."

She looked at the map she had on the wall, marked with color coded pushpins. She walked to it and traced her fingers around the map. "Ever since the end of the war, things have been happening that no one can explain. You're not the only one who's been sneaking around," she touched a spot on the map. "There are reports here of someone who can move so fast they can't even be seen," she touched another spot, "An anomalous energy reading. Something is happening."

Kaji looked at the map. "These points are evenly distributed."

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "I think it has something to do with the particle wave matter released into the atmosphere during the war. Rei has another theory."

Kaji raised his eyebrow.

"She calls it 'sympathetic terrain'. The equations are complicated, but her proofs are… elegant. The implication is that, somehow, _Shinjni_ is causing people to develop superhuman abilities simply by existing."

"That's ludicrous," said Kaji.

"So it may sound, but see the blue pins? They're all confirmed reports. They're all young people, too. Something is coming. You're right about one thing. This isn't over."

* * *

><p>Misato scrubbed at her eyes. It was three in the morning, and she still had a pile of paperwork to approve. She always thought that being in charge would mean there would be less work, not more. She was beginning to wonder how Ikari had always kept his damned desk so clean. Probably from foisting most of the work off on his subordinates. Now that Shinji was busy with actual work for the Institute, not to mention his other job, she didn't feel right demanding his time. She blew her hair out of her eyes, took a sip of cold coffee.<p>

"The hell with it," she said.

She knew, instinctively, that Kaji would be about, mostly because he always let her know before he headed off to their Spartan apartment. The place never seemed to see enough use, and felt a little empty after Hikari adopted Pen Pen from her, now that Shinji was moved out and Misato was too busy to care for him properly. One thing she was sure of, their bed had seen far too little use, in every possible sense.

"Great," she mumbled as she touched her hand to the panel on the wall to lock her office. "I'm developing a paperwork fetish."

One of the perks of being Chief Operating Officer was her own personal elevator. She took it down to the lower level where Kaji kept his office, and knocked on his door. There was no answer. He heard a soft voice mutter "Oh, shit."

Misato frowned, and as she touched the panel beside the door, her fingers curled around the butt of a phantom gun- she didn't wear a sidearm anymore. The door slid open and she found Ritsuko inside, fiddling with something on a bookshelf next to Kaji's desk. She barged inside and planted her fists on her hips.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Ah," said Ritsuko, "I was borrowing a book."

"What book?"

She looked nervously at the shelf. "Improvised explosive devices and mines- a demolitions primer."

"Bullshit," said Misato. "What are you really doing?"

"I can't tell you."

"Don't tell me you're sneaking around bugging everyone's office."

"No," Ritsuko said defensively.

"Then what?"

Ritsuko didn't answer her. Instead, she edged to the desk and sat down on it, looking away towards the floor. "It's not my place to tell you."

"Tell me what?" Misato demanded.

"Top shelf, third volume from the right."

Misato's eyes narrowed, and she walked over to the shelf, watching Ritsuko all the while. The third volume from the right on the top shelf was a faded looking photo album. She reached up, standing on her toes to touch it, and managed to curl her fingertip around it. It slid forward, pivoting on a hinge, and clicked.

There was a pneumatic hiss, and the shelf started sliding backwards. It kept moving until it hit the far wall. She stepped into a small, cold alcove made of polished metal. A set of steep, narrow steps led away into darkness, and the bottom was set into the ash-black rock of the Geofront itself. In stepping through the hidden door, she'd technically gone outside. She started down a few steps.

"Ritsuko?" Kaji called. "Does it work?"

"Kaji?" said Misato.

She could hear his breath catch in the darkness. "Don't come down here."

"Why the hell not?"

She jogged down the rest of the way. There was some kind of a chamber cut into the rock, harshly lit by portable work lights hooked up to one of Ritsuko's pet projects, a generator that made electricity from some kind of current blah blah something something, she was too angry to think. She saw a figure moving in the darkness near some work benches and reached for that missing gun again.

"What's going on?"

Kaji stepped into the light. He was wearing some kind of coat, no, it was a _cape _draped around his shoulders. The bottom was scalloped. It shifted and moved unnaturally, almost like it was alive. Another one of Ritsuko's science projects, no doubt. There was a hood or something hanging down behind his face.

"I didn't want to involve you with this."

"Involve me with what? What is that thing? What is that, a mask?"

"Yes."

Misato's fists clenched. "I can't believe this. Don't tell me you're starting this secrecy bullshit again."

He looked wounded. She felt herself soften, but resisted the urge, forcing her face into a scowl, and stalked over to him. "So what is it?"

"I never wanted you to see this."

He spread the cape apart, lifted his hands over his head, and pulled the mask on.

Blind, naked terror ran through her. She turned and almost fell as she darted through the darkness. The pounding of her heart was louder than the click of her heels on the black stone or the ragged breaths she drew. She ran to the stairwell, grabbed the hand rail, and used it to wheel herself around the corner as she ran. Her foot went out from under her.

Kaji caught her in his powerful arms. He'd pulled the mask back.

"Why does it have to be a _bat?" _she snapped, brushing the tears out of her face.

He looked at the floor. "I'm not really sure. It's just something I know I have to do."

"Why?"

"There are men out there with resources and means beyond our ability to reach. No one can touch them, not even after everything that's happened. They're not afraid of anything."

His face hardened into a scowl. "They're going to be afraid of me."

* * *

><p>Everything about the situation made Kensuke nervous. He was nervous about his suit, which was his father's meager college graduation gift. It was all his old man could afford, and Kensuke didn't resent that, but a little tailoring and alteration would have gone far for him. He was never an athlete, not like Toji or Shinji were, but he wasn't in poor shape, either. He fattened up a bit during the stressful first years of college but lost the weight as he leaned into the degree program and shed pounds as he gained experience and skill. He'd always thought of himself a superstar hacker, but those first few classes were an eye-opener. When he learned about the future Institute for Human Advancement and the possibilities it represented, he put almost everything aside to give himself a chance at employment with the Institute.<p>

Now that possibility was unfolding, and he was flat terrified of it. He was sitting in an electric tram car with a dozen other young men and women, all like himself in ill fitting formal clothes, briefcases full of portfolios and proposals and letters of recommendation clutched to their chests. His bundle of papers was particularly thick, mostly accolades he'd earned, but it was layered with disks full of his programming work. He always had the feeling he was on the verge of a major breakthrough in the cryptography, a new algorithm that would set the stage for the future development of cryptography and cryptanalysis, but it was always tantalizingly out of reach. As a salaryman, he'd have to subordinate his dreams to the needs of his company, but at the Institute, the advancement of humanity came before profits or corporate hierarchies.

The ride calmed his nerves. He didn't really recognize his old home. He'd seen the Geofront itself maybe five times, and most of those under stress, visiting Hikari in the hospital. Access to the cavern was tightly monitored during the war and even the son of an employee was denied regular access. It looked nothing like it once did. There was no longer any roof- when the foundations of the old city collapsed, they were simply stripped away and the materials recycled and re-purposed for use in creating the new city. The new construction represented Doctor Ritsuko Akagi's famous Human Paradigm, a set of principles designed to bring humanity into harmony with itself and with nature. There were no high rises- all of the buildings were low to the ground and spread out, and rather than built up, they were built down; if more room was needed, rather than the structurally problematic practice of building a high rise, the engineers and architects built into the ground where the Earth's natural facilities for cooling, heating, insulation, and the like could be exploited. The expertise developed in the old Geofront was used to make subterranean spaces more livable.

While it was as dense as any pre-war city, New Tokyo was a glorious world of green. Every roof was covered in plantings, either decorative, or gardens. The air smelled of flowers and foliage and life, and was cool and humid with an underlying scent, almost a feel, really, of fertile Earth. Part of that was due to Akagi's advancments in the use of LCL to revitalize dying soils. She was well on her way to solving world hunger. Kensuke was so excited he could barely sit still. All of these wonderful things were happening, and he was going to be part of it.

If he didn't totally screw this up.

The building the tram was approaching wasn't the institute proper. It was visible from every point in the valley, a giant, hollow glass pyramid that gently swirled through a variety of colors as the glass altered its tint and hue every second to ensure the perfect comfortable temperature inside. It was a marvel, the photo-reactive glass and the computer system that controlled it all powered by microscopic photovoltaic elements embedded in the glass itself. The pyramid was proof of concept for a hundred such technologies. The glass system was already proliferating into the world, incrementally reducing the amount of power people used for air conditioning and the like. It was a small thing, but every tiny advance helped push people into a future without want or strife.

As if conjured by the thought, he saw the war memorial. The battered head armor of Unit One dominated the low rise that had been dedicated to the dead and injured during the Angel War. The armor sat empty, pulled apart by wires like an exploded schematic to act as a pavillion over a white wall etched with the silvered names of the lost and the dead. The tram disembarked at the memorial, leaving the applicants to walk into the pyramid on foot. Kensuke waited his turn and walked over to the wall before joining the others. Embedded in the very center was a glass case full of photographs, turned in by people who lost loved ones or suffered injuries, a mosaic of the world during the war. He teared up a little when he saw a picture he'd taken, of Toji and Hikari, only a week before her injuries.

He fell in line with the others, needlessly adjusting his tie. The entrance to the pyramid was a monitored by the all-seeing eye of the MAGI system. His heart fluttered at the idea of gaining access to it, the world's most powerful and most intelligent computer, rumored to be a true artificial intelligence. He'd heard rumors that it incorporated alien technology.

A familiar voice called to him. "Mister Aida."

He turned, and saw Hikari walking towards the security check. She waved him him forward, and he stepped out of line and hurried to her. She looked great- one had to look to see the fine scars that surrounded her eye, and in her black suit she looked perfectly normal, the only thing out of place being the black glove on her left hand. She smiled warmly at him.

"Hello, Kensuke. How have you been?"

"Nervous," he blurted. "I'm here for an interview."

"I know. Doctor Ikari sent me to escort you for a personal interview."

Kensuke paled. "Ikari?"

"Not that Ikari," said Hikari. "Come on."

Moving through the security stations with the head of security was surprisingly easy. Hikari only had to look up, pull back the lock of hair she wore over her artificial eye, and the gates raised to admit her. Kensuke quickly lost track of where he was- the interior of the pyramid was twisty and turny, and the constant color shifting of the flying glass over his head distracted him. It became easier when they came to an elevator. Hikari hit the button and they rode a few levels down, and she walked him to a rather plain looking door.

"Wait here," said Hikari. "Good luck."

Kensuke swallowed. He felt like he'd been waiting forever by the time the door slid open and a soft voice said, "Come in."

Kensuke edged into the office. It was dark, and the entire back wall was covered in computer equipment, monitors, keyboards, and the like. The occupant was turned away in a high backed chair. Kensuke edged forward and jumped when the door slid shut behind him. There was a guest chair in front of the plain black desk that sat in the middle of the room. The chair spun around, revealing a slight young woman who looked far too young to have a doctorate, dressed in a simple green dress and a white lab coat. Her nametag said R. Ikari.

Kensuke adjusted his glasses, and before he realized it, he was staring at her. She looked so familiar.

"Doctor Ikari?"

"Yes."

"Do you know a Shinji Ikari?"

"Of course I know him. He's my brother."

"I didn't know he had a sister," said Kensuke.

"Neither did he, for a time," she said, smiling softly to herself.

Kensuke blinked. She looked _very _familiar. Her hair was down past her shoulders, a mousy chestnut color, neatly cut, and her eyes were a piercing green, like two chips of emerald, lively and excited, like everything she saw was new. He was sure he'd never seen her before, but there was something about the curve of her jaw, the shape of her nose, that was so familiar, and her lips especially. Kensuke swallowed.

He looked at her nametag again.

"Rei?" he said, quietly.

"Hello, Kensuke," she smiled. "Welcome to the program."

* * *

><p>Rei pulled up her hood, and she walked among human beings. Throughout her life, she'd had a select, limited company. Her every movement was monitored, her every position tracked. By the time she was of age, everyone was already used to her unusual appearance and mannerisms, and either ignored her or gawked at her. In all that time, she had never gone to an unfamiliar place, as she did today, and simply walked among people who had never seen her before. She did get a few looks as she walked through the crowd with her hands in her pockets, but it was not like before. It was mostly younger men and boys looking, though a few older ones, too.<p>

After a while, she put her hood down.

When absolutely nothing of consequence happened, she kept walking, smiling softly at the feeling of the breeze in her hair. She'd stopped cutting it, and it now reached her shoulders, long enough for the wind to play with it. She had to slow as the crowd grew denser, weaving and ducking between other people who seemed to pay her very little attention. She stopped when she saw something from the corner of her eye, a reflection in a shop window.

A yellow figure was mixed in with the crowd. People flowed around it, moving away from it without seeming to know why. She turned her head slightly while pretending to look at her telephone, and saw the crowd moving around an empty spot on the sidewalk. She turned back to the window in time to see the apparition moving away. Quickly, she turned, pulled her hood up, and followed, watching for the strange dead spot in the crowd. She kept glancing at the windows around her, spotting flashes of yellow. She quickly realized there were more of them. From the eddies in the crowd, it quickly became clear there were three such anomalies.

She followed them and watched them draw nearer to one another, until there was a single empty space in the throng of people, edging slowly towards an alleyway. She moved closer, nearly stepping into the eddy, until it moved into the alley itself. Rei darted in after it, and found himself confronted by three nebulous yellow shapes, somwehre between the color of sulfur and polished gold, flickering in and out of visibility. All that remained constant was their black eyes.

"Time is short," said the first figure.

"You are not the one who opened the way," said the second figure.

"You must carry the warning," said the third.

"What warning?" said Rei.

"Gather all your strength. He is coming."

From there, she caught only snippets. "Entire multiverse in danger… worldlines collapsing… ideological instability… must not reach… core world…"

She blinked, and the three shapes vanished.

Rei pulled out her phone and tapped the dial button. "Akagi," she said, "We must speak."

* * *

><p>Shinji's heart was pounding as he circled their little kitchen table, arms folded behind his back. His throat was dry and he had to stop and remember to breathe. The box sat there, waiting as Asuka showered. He listened for the fall of the water to stop, then forced himself to stand still as she walked out of the bathroom, one towel threaded around her body while another held her hair in a ball above her head. She looked at the box.<p>

"What's that?" she said.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why is it lined with lead?"

"Happy birthday," said Shinji.

"I told you not to get me anything."

"It's really great," said Shinji. "I promise."

She pulled the towel from her head and let her wet tresses drape around her shoulders. She picked up the box, turned it around, and then sank her fingers into it, probing the inside, before she pulled it in half. In either hand, she held a pair of curious masks, made of transparent, soft plastic. In each mask was embedded a small gray square that ran a wire to an ear bud. Asuka stared at them.

"What are these?"

"Put it on," he said, taking his mask from her hand. He pulled his on to show her.

When she had it on, like a dust mask with the wire running to her ear, she said "What's this for?"

Her voice doubled in his ear. "I'll show you."

She jumped at the sound.

"Get dressed."

She gave him a look and went off to the dresser to change. She stood behind a screen while she pulled on a tight black t-shirt and jeans, folding her wet hair behind her head as she walked out and slipped the mask back on. Shinji quietly waited for her to join him.

"Now," he said, "Let's see if you can catch _me." _

She grinned, but he was already through the open window, rocketing straight up. Asuka leapt out after him, spiraling in a wild, ecstatic corkscrew through the air as she chased after him. He had a head start on her both in the race and in the development of his powers, so keeping ahead of her was easy. He pushed straight up, higher and higher, just slow enough that she could almost reach him. The air thinned around him.

"Hey," her voice crackled in his ear, distorted by the whistling air. "I've never gone this high before."

"Okay," he said as the sky turned to dark despite the day, "You got me."

She slid up around him, touching her lips to his. He turned her in a slow circle, looking over her shoulder at the world turning beneath him. "Now," he said, "turn around."

She blinked and did as she was asked, pressing her back to him. He put one arm around her waist and then gently cupped his fingers over her eyes. She smiled wickedly. "Oh, this better be good."

"Oh," he said, "It is."

She yelped in terror and exultation as he took off at full speed. The world around him seemed to drag, and even Asuka herself seemed to slow down. He carried her through the airless void and jogged to a stop, the super hot gray dust under his feet tickling his toes. He'd gone barefoot, to avoid melting his shoes.

He uncovered Asuka's eyes, and they widened in shock. She pushed away from him and almost fell, her bod moving lazily in the low gravity. She spun around in confusion, then looked up at the tiny blue marble of the Earth peeking up over the horizon. She stood staring, slack-jawed, until he embraced her from behind.

"Mein Gott," she whispered.

Earth hung in the void, tiny and round and perfect, ever changing. He could see it all- the glaze of the aurora on the ionosphere as the solar wind curled around her, the shifting infrared tapestry of the great atmospheric heat exchange and ocean currents, the luminous halo of the ultraviolet radiation reflecting from the surface around he equator, and for the first time in his life, he knew someone else could see it, too.

Tears slid down her cheek, unbidden. "It's beautiful," she murmured. "The _colors._"

"It's the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"What's the first?" she said, leaning on his shoulder.

"Do I have to say it?"

"Yes," she sighed.

"You."

"This is a great present."

Shinji grinned under his mask. "This isn't the present. This is the setup."

He pulled the smaller box from his back pocket and unfolded it in front of her. "This is the present."

She snatched it from his hand, holding the ring in front of her eyes. "What is this?"

He touched the stones. "Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and a crystalline form of a new element I helped synthesize."

"I mean, what is it for?"

She turned around until she was facing him, still in his arms, holding the ring between them, staring at it. She did nothing but breath for a while, blinking away tears.

"It's an engagement ring," said Shinji.

Asuka stared at him in dull shock for just a moment, until her face lit up in a brilliant smile that could have drowned out the sun. She crushed herself into him, so hard it almost hurt.

"Yes," she said, finally, her voice high and tight. "I'm so glad you asked before I told you."

He stood up. "Told me what? Is everything okay?"

She smiled enigmatically. "Well," she said, "it turns out you're not going to be the last child of Krypton, after all."

Shinji's jaw dropped. He picked her up by the waist and spun her with an ecstatic cry as she slipped her arms around his neck. He sat her down and pulled down his mask, and she pulled down hers, and with the Earth rising in the background, that little blue mote in the void that had seen so much struggle and strife, he kissed her, and it was a very good kiss indeed.

When it was over, there was a very brief pause, as there were many more to follow. During that short space between moments of passion, he looked over her shoulder, and looked out at a very special angle, an angle that only he could see...

Where he sees _us…_

…and winks.

* * *

><p><em>You have been reading<em>

**LAST CHILD **_of _**KRYPTON**

_Redux_

by Chuckman

* * *

><p><strong>NEON GENESIS EVANGELION <strong>_was created by _**HIDEAKI ANNO** _and _**STUDIO GAINAX **_with character designs by _**YOSHIYUKI SADOMOTO**

The appropriation of Anno et. al.' s universe and themes in _Last Child of Krypton_ is intended with the utmost respect.

* * *

><p><strong>SUPERMAN <strong>_was created by _**JERRY SIEGEL **_and _**JOE SCHUSTER**

* * *

><p><strong>BRAINIAC <strong>_was created by _**OTTO BINDER **_and _**AL PLASTINO**

* * *

><p><strong>BATMAN<strong> _was created by _**BOB KANE **_and _**BILL FINGER**

* * *

><p>The character of Superman, throughout his 74 year publication history, has undergone a number of revisions, reboots, reinterpretations, rebirths, and yet has always reminded us that deep down, what we all really want is to be a hero. The depiction of the Superman character in <em>Last Child of Krypton<em> does not exist in a vacuum, but owes itself to the works of **GRANT MORRISON**, **MARK WAID, ALEX ROSS**, **PAUL DINI, **and **BRUCE TIMM.**

It is through their work that some part of me will always be eleven, and believe a man can fly.

* * *

><p>Still with me? Good.<p>

* * *

><p>When Shinji arrived at the first secure door to the labs, Ritsuko was already standing there waiting for him. He looked more haggard than he'd seen in years, almost like she used to in the old days that now seemed to distant, a memory buried under the gleaming magnificence of the Institute and Neo Tokyo. In fact, if it weren't for the long dark hair she had tied in a loose ponytail that was draped over her shoulder, he could have seen her just the same back in her old lab. The only thing missing was the cigarette.<p>

"Ritsuko?" he said, rushing to her side. "What's wrong?"

"We can't talk here," she said, her voice low. "You need to see this yourself."

He was surprised by the lengths she was taking. She led him through the building and the above-ground facilities, down into the secure labs, and finally even deeper, down the elevator to the old cloning lab and Shinji's own private laboratory, what Asuka had jokingly nicknamed "The Fortress of Solitude", the name she'd given to his bedroom in the old apartment, so long ago.

"What's wrong?" he said.

Ritsuko was shaking visibly as she walked with him into the Terminal elevator. She didn't say anything, but hit the switch. When it reached the bottom, she shied to the back of the tiny space and hugged herself.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Kaji is with him."

Shinji touched her shoulder. "I don't understand."

"You will," she said, "Please. Go."

He blinked, and headed down the tunnel. Kaji was standing at the end of the tunnel, waiting for him. He had his cowl thrown back over his head but was in the full suit. If he'd pulled the mask over his face he would have disappeared, blended into the darkness and made it part of himself. His cloak swayed around him as he walked.

"We picked him up about two hours ago," said Kaji. "I brought him here. I thought it was best to keep him out of sight."

Shinji nodded. There was a figure sitting near Kaji's equipment on a simple folding chair. He wore a ragged black suit that was more gray than black, and long scraggly hair and a thick beard obscured his features. Kaji stopped and let Shinji cross the rest of the distance himself.

He froze. "It can't be. You're dead."

His father looked up at him. "Of course I am. I usually am. We have a poor survival rate."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not your father, boy. I'm _his_ father. I've come to warn you. He's coming."

"Who's coming?" said Shinji.

Gendo looked him in the eye, and Shinji saw madness in him. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips dry, and he was as pale as a ghost. He smelled, and his hair was a rat's nest of tangles, dirt, and dust. He smirked quietly to himself, and then began sobbing.

"You are."

* * *

><p>The adventures of the Last Child of Krypton will continue in…<p>

_The_ **CRISIS** _of_ **INFINITE SHINJIs**


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